Executive and Organisational structure

Te Puni Kōkiri leads policy advice to the Government on Māori development and Iwi and Māori relations with the Crown. Te Puni Kōkiri is organised into four puni, each led by a Deputy Secretary:

• Policy
• Strategy
• Regions
• Governance and Corporate

The Te Puni Kōkiri Executive Leadership Team is comprised of these four Deputy Secretaries and the Secretary for Māori Development, Dave Samuels.

Policy

The Policy puni leads public policy advice on issues of specific importance to Māori. It also provides interdepartmental policy advice on matters most likely to impact directly on wellbeing and development outcomes for whānau, hapū, iwi and Māori.

Working together with the other puni, Policy leads, influences, contributes to and supports policy thinking at multiple levels – from system-level strategic policy and frameworks, to specific, regionally located policy initiatives and proposals.

The fundamentals of policy functions and processes are very similar across government agencies. However, Te Puni Kōkiri is unique in developing and applying frameworks that are anchored in the unique cultural context of whānau, hapū, iwi and Māori.

The Deputy Secretary, Policy is Paula Rawiri.

Strategy

The Strategy puni provides strategic direction for Te Puni Kōkiri and monitors organisational performance and effectiveness, informed by a strong data and evidence base.

The Deputy Secretary, Strategy is Terina Cowan.

Regions

The Regions puni delivers the Te Puni Kōkiri strategy across the regions.

With a network of offices across six regions, Te Puni Kōkiri maintains relationships and supports engagement with hapori Māori including iwi, hapū and whānau. Through these relationships we gather insights to inform policy development and implement innovative initiatives that build capability and readiness of whānau and Māori communities to achieve their aspirations, leading to intergenerational transformation.

• Te Tai Tokerau
• Tāmaki Makaurau
• Waikato-Waiariki
• Ikaroa-Rāwhiti
• Te Tai Hauāuru
• Te Waipounamu

The Deputy Secretary of the Regions is Grace Smit.

Governance and Corporate

The Governance and Corporate Puni promotes high quality decision making, integrity, resource allocation, and risk management. It connects Ministers and the Ministry, monitors statutory entities, and drives consistent Crown practice in Treaty settlement commitments.  The Governance and Corporate Puni covers the following functions:

• Finance, Property and Procurement;
• Legal Services;
• Ministerial and Governance Services;
• People, Capability and Culture;
• Risk and Assurance;
• Statutory Entity Monitoring and Appointments; and
• Treaty of Waitangi settlement commitments, and significant settlement resolution issues.

The Deputy Secretary, Governance is Steven Sutton.