Te Puni Kokiri - The Ministry Of Maori Development

Establishment and new direction

Te Puni Kokiri (the Ministry of Maori Development) was established in January 1992. It replaced the former Ministry of Maori Affairs (Manatu Maori) and the Iwi Transition Agency (Te Tira Ahu Iwi).

The Government changed the fundamental policy that Maori needs could only be catered for by a central Government Maori Affairs Department. It did not support the concept of a compulsory tribal delivery system for Government programmes and services given that a majority of Maori no longer reside in tribal areas.

Instead, the Government's aim is to encourage the ability for Maori to participate positively and equitably in the social and economic life of New Zealand.

This aim is to be achieved through targeting policy and funding in education, health, training and economic resource development. This change in direction was made with the establishment of the Ministry of Maori Development.

Role

Te Puni Kokiri does not deliver Maori programmes direct to Maori because the services are delivered by other agencies. The focus of the Ministry is on assessing how various issues affect Maori and to ensure that a Maori perspective is incorporated into any new policies being developed.

The Ministry also acts in a liaison or facilitation role between iwi, Maori and other agencies, organisations and the Crown.

This is achieved through Te Puni Kokiri's policy development role and through its regional offices.

Advice is provided to the Government on social, economic, cultural and political issues as they affect Maori and key focus areas covering, health, education, asset management and development, labour resource, the relationship between the Crown and Maori, and Maori potential.

The Ministry also commissions projects and reports which assist with policy development. It pilots new concepts and programmes to assist in both the design and delivery of services in the different sectors.

Structure

Te Puni Kokiri, in its Wellington based head office, has five policy branches reporting to the Chief Executive. These branches are:

• Asset management, which creates options to maximise the benefit for iwi and hapu from assets and resources resulting from their Treaty settlements;

• Compliance, which provides advice relating to the effective management of the Crown's Treaty partnership with iwi and hapu, and the Crown's relationship with individual and collective groups of Maori people;

• Corporate Services, which designs and implements policies that support the corporate environment and functions;

• Social Policy, which develops policy focused on the quality of citizenship including equality of opportunity and equality of results, as well as providing advice on opportunities and impediments to achieving parity for Maori. The branch also assesses the means for moving Maori beyond parity; and

• Treaty Relations, which supports the Crown's partnership with iwi and hapu and the general Crown relationship with Maori, manages the collective interests of the Crown with its Treaty partners at a local level and to provide early warning of local issues likely to impact on the relationship between the Crown and Maori.

In addition, there are thirteen regional offices throughout New Zealand.

Policy Development

The role of the Ministry is to ensure that mainstream policy, legislation and agencies recognise specific Maori needs where Maori are at a disadvantage, when compared with the remainder of New Zealand society. Te Puni Kokiri no longer delivers services but rather acts as a policy and monitoring unit for the Government.

One example of how this new approach works is in the health sector. Under legislation, Maori health must be specifically addressed and we now see Maori policy having considerable impact on Maori health initiatives. There are now new and innovative approaches to old problems, with Maori health initiatives involving Maori in designing and delivering health programmes to Maori.

One result of mainstreaming is the considerably improved responsiveness to the needs of Maori from the mainstream agencies.

Addressing the parity gap between Maori and non-Maori in all facets of New Zealand society is crucial to the future development of Maori. The Government, with support from Te Puni Kokiri and the wider New Zealand community, is finding new ways to deal with this area. The issues of self-responsibility and self-determination are becoming a key focus for helping disadvantaged Maori.

By devolving responsibility, particularly with funding to local Maori service providers, programmes can be more effectively targeted towards their client group. This approach is compatible with the same approach taken in all Government service areas where service delivery is being devolved back to the community in both the public and private sector.

In the past, there were two agencies providing similar or duplicated services to two distinct groups, (Maori and other New Zealanders). Now mainstreaming ensures that instead of duplicating services, the Ministry of Maori Development can provide both a co-ordinating and a leadership role.

Monitoring

One of Te Puni Kokiri's prime functions is its statutory responsibility under the Ministry of Maori Development Act 1991, to monitor the effectiveness of the services developed by other agencies and departments to, or for, Maori.

Initially, when Te Puni Kokiri was first established, the Ministry did not have a large monitoring role as mainstream policies were only just beginning to be implemented. This role is gaining in importance as more mainstreaming projects are being established.

The Ministry has also established itself as an informed and proactive policy unit on Maori issues and works closely with other agencies in areas affecting Maori development. It is the Government's principal adviser on the Crown's relationship with iwi, hapu and Maori on key Government policies as they affect Maori.

Major Achievements

The Ministry of Maori Development is now a major contributor to providing Government sector policy advice. It is acknowledged as the principal adviser to the Crown on its relationship between iwi, hapu and Maori and the Crown, and on key Government policies affecting Maori.

• Te Puni Kokiri successfully managed the recent programme of consultation with iwi and hapu on the Crown's proposals for settling Treaty of Waitangi claims. This involved Ministers of the Crown travelling around New Zealand to meet with claimant groups. This was the first time the Crown has gone to Maori to discuss its Treaty proposals and to listen to Maori on their grievances.

• It has successfully assisted in the development and implementation of many new initiatives in the sectors aimed at helping Maori. The positive results now being achieved support the Government's directional change in Maori policy.

Publications and Communications

Te Puni Kokiri has played a major role in producing publications which have been significant in promoting the Government's policies and the work of the Ministry to key groups - departments, agencies, iwi, hapu and Maori. The publications provide quality, detailed information.

Contacts

Michelle Johns		Gay Tawhiao
Press Secretary		Communications Manager
Minister of Maori Affairs		Te Puni Kokiri
Parliament Buildings		P 0 Box 3943
WELLINGTON		WELLINGTON
Ph 044719863		Ph 044947008
Pager 026103335		Mobile 025469706
Fax 044721122		Fax 044947102