Te Pae Tata
Māori are among the highest users of our services, and are more likely to require our support for longer time periods. Because Māori stay in our system longer, there is a high likelihood that their children will be supported by benefits from birth. These tamariki run the risk of becoming the next generation of Māori entering the benefit system for the first time.
Nearly 47 percent of Māori (compared with 37 percent of non-Māori) who enter the benefit system for the first time are 16- to 19-year-olds. Nine out of 10 Māori MSD clients under the age of 18 years have parents who received main benefits at some point in their teen years.
In 2018/19, because we knew that we needed to change this picture and that we needed Māori to help us identify what the new picture would look like, we reached out to Māori clients and providers to find out what they thought we were doing well and what we could improve. We received 5,000 individual responses, and three key themes emerged.
- Whānau wanted to engage with staff that want to help. They wanted to be respected and listened to, have choices, and be involved in decisions being made about them (so that they were in control of their own destinies).
- Providers wanted us to trust them and to provide them with opportunities to build their capacity and capability. They also wanted to be involved in services that were being designed for the people they were delivering services to.
- Staff wanted more time to help whānau. They wanted wellbeing programmes for themselves and opportunities to develop their Māori knowledge, language and capabilities so that they could engage better with Māori as needed.
We used this feedback to develop a new Māori Strategy and Action Plan (Te Pae Tata) to articulate how we will work with, and achieve better outcomes for, Māori. Te Pae Tata is not the solution; it is instead a lens over all our work to ensure it meets the current and future needs of Māori.
Te Pae Tata was launched in June 2019 and enhances the kaupapa Māori lens that is being woven into our strategic direction as expressed in Te Pae Tawhiti.
Mana manaaki - A positive experience every time
Nā te hua o ā mātou mahi ka whakaponohia, ka whakautehia hoki mātou e te Māori. Ka whakarongo mātou, ā ka kore mātou e whakawā. Ka ngākau puare, ka matatika hoki mātou.
We will earn the respect and trust of Māori, listen without judgement, and be open and fair.
Kotahitanga - Partnering for greater impact
Ka whakarite mātou i ngā hoatanga rangapū motuhenga kit e Māori. Ka tautokona te Māori kia arahina te hoahoa rātonga, kaupapa whakarato hoki ka whakaritea mō to Māori.
We will form genuine partnerships with Māori and support Māori to lead the way in terms of any service design and delivery models that we commission for Māori.
Kia takatū tātou - Supporting long-term social and economic development
Ka tautoko mātou i ngā wawata a te Māori. Ka hāpai ake mātou, ka tautoko hoki mātou i ngā kaupapa tērā ka kite ate Māori e whanake ake ana, e tipu ake ana, hei Māori.
We will support Māori aspirations and champion and support initiatives that see Māori develop and grow as Māori.
We know that we need to deliver better for Māori – people and whānau have told us this. Not only is it the right thing to do, it aligns with our commitment as a Te Tiriti o Waitangi partner.
Embedding a Te Ao Māori view throughout our organisation will help us think differently about the way we work with Māori. We want all our staff to have the capability to do their best for individuals, whānau, hapū and iwi, no matter where or how they connect with us.
