Since the beginning of this year, Chief Executive Michelle Hippolite has been leading her staff from around the motu through a strategic development process to sharpen up the future direction of Te Puni Kōkiri. Final decisions on the Reviews of Te Puni Kōkiri and Whānau Ora are pending. But the strategy-making process has seen a consolidation of the Ministry’s vision and new statements on its role, purpose and function. These set a base for further refinement later in the year.

Te Puni Kōkiri’s Statement of Intent (SOI) confirms its core purpose as a trusted advisor to its Ministers and other agencies. Generating good ideas and understanding, to improve the lives of iwi, hapü and whānau Māori, is at the heart of describing Te Puni Kōkiri’s purpose.

In her first all staff address last year, Michelle drew on the story of the tuatara – an analogy relevant at the time. The tuatara, she shared, was one of the last of the dinosaur family to survive through thousands of years.

“One of the most interesting things to me is that every year they shed their skin, new skin grows under their current skin and once a year it all falls off. In some ways each year we’re going to be shedding our skin, being sure we are well prepared for the year to come. And the year that’s really important to me is not January but actually the Matariki period where for our people the Māori New Year actually begins.”

The statements about Te Puni Kōkiri’s role, functions and purpose contained in the SOI are derived from a strategic development process initially characterised as a “re-skinning” process.

It began with focus groups with staff all around the motu - nicknamed “Tuatara Sessions”, during the first few months of the year. Michelle attended the sessions to listen, engage and gather the whakaaro of staff. This information fed into several wānanga with senior management leaders including the Pouwhakahaere - the cultural guardians of the organisation.

Purpose, Role and Outcomes

Te Puni Kōkiri supports Government to strengthen Treaty of Waitangi partnerships and facilitate iwi, hapü and whānau Māori to succeed at home and globally.

We do this in three main ways:

• Ārahitanga By providing leadership and guidance in Crown-iwi, hapü, and whānau Māori relationships.
• Whakamaherehere By providing advice to Ministers and direction to agencies on achieving better results for whānau Māori.
• Auahatanga By testing and evidencing innovation to promote better results for whānau Māori.

Long term outcomes

The focus of our performance is on achieving meaningful and demonstrable gains against three long-term outcomes:

• He Ara Whakamua
  Iwi, hapū, and whānau Māori achieve greater self-sufficiency and self-reliance.
• Whāinga ki Mua
  Māori are more secure, confident, and expert in their own language and culture.
• Ōranga ā Mua
  Whānau Māori achieve greater quality of life.

These outcomes are reflective of the ongoing and evolving Treaty of Waitangi-based relationships between the Crown and iwi, hapū and whānau Māori. This includes the importance of te reo Māori and culture to iwi, hapū and whānau Māori wellbeing and to New Zealand’s identity as a nation. They are also reflective of creating an environment within which our most vulnerable families and communities can realise improved and sustainable results and outcomes.

“I’m very excited about the journey ahead of us,” says Michelle. “Ultimately, it is about how we contribute to iwi, hapū and whānau Māori realising their full potential.”