Ka anga whakamua mātou i tā mātou ahunga rautaki We made progress on our strategic direction

In the face of recent global disruption, Te Pae Tawhiti, Te Pae Tata and Pacific Prosperity still provide a strong and relevant guide for change to achieve better outcomes for New Zealanders. This year we continued to make progress against them, and COVID-19 helped to accelerate progress in some key areas, particularly in the enhancement of our digital channels and partnership with iwi.

Te Pae Tawhiti

Our frontline people have embraced Te Pae Tawhiti as a clear direction to realise our outcomes for clients, with some tangible successes achieved in the past year. We:

  • enhanced some of our digital channels to help clients access information and services and provide us with information more easily
  • formed new community partnerships, including with iwi and church groups
  • strengthened our role in employment services
  • improved relationships with providers through more high-trust engagement.

Te Pae Tata

Te Pae Tata outlined a number of high-level actions we need to take in MSD to improve outcomes for people and whānau in the community. We made significant progress against these this year, as we:

  • finalised relationship agreements with Maniapoto, Whākatōhea and Te Korowai o Wainuiārua
  • participated in the development of a social and economic revitalisation strategy framework with Tātau Tātau o Te Wairoa Trust and other Crown agencies
  • continued to engage with and support Parihaka Papakāinga Trust through the Te Huanga ō Rongo multilateral agreement
  • engaged with the National Iwi Chairs Forum (as the Crown lead, MSD is responsible for progressing work under the Pou Tangata workstream)
  • supported the establishment of a Regional Intersectoral Forum comprising iwi, Crown agencies and territorial authorities to deliver initiatives that fit with iwi aspirations
  • launched a five-year E Tū Whānau Framework for Change
  • redesigned service delivery models to enable staff to co-locate with community service providers such as marae
  • established Māori Connect (a Māori case management model) where iwi support whānau into employment or training
  • established Ngā Mātanga Māori to provide advice on kaupapa Māori values that could underpin the welfare system
  • started a review of the Social Services Accreditation Standards so we can weave cultural competency elements throughout them
  • supported Te Piki Oranga to help Māori clients to pass their restricted/full licence
  • contributed funding to support Project Moturoa, which delivers a mātauranga Māori conservation programme
  • suppported Mana Wāhine, which helps women with living skills and personal development
  • continued to support Te Ara Matatū, a programme that helps Māori to prepare for employment.

Strengthening our partnerships with iwi

A key priority of Te Pae Tata is strengthening our partnerships with iwi as a Te Tiriti o Waitangi partner. We invested more in building Māori capability internally, and in connecting and collaborating to build effective partnerships, community approaches, and services to achieve better outcomes.

Before and throughout the emergence of COVID-19, we contracted many iwi and Māori organisations to provide services in communities. During the pandemic public appreciation of the Crown working in partnership with iwi and Māori communities grew, and such partnerships are increasingly being seen as important tools for achieving a wide range of government objectives.

MSD also leads two multilateral agreements:

  • Te Hiku o Te Ika Iwi/Crown Social Development and Wellbeing Accord
    • Since we signed a Letter of Intent on behalf of Crown agencies with Te Hiku Iwi Development Trust in February 2020, activities have spanned:
      • building the internal capability of Te Hiku iwi
      • establishing education and employment initiatives
      • exploring ideas for creating and retaining business and employment
      • developing a social foundations action plan
      • exploring ways to address housing issues in Te Hiku.
    • Service Management Plan with Tūhoe
      • We continued to work with Tūhoe and with participating agencies on the Service Management Plan to update our next set of five-year commitments. This work strengthens the long-term relationship between the Crown and Tūhoe to bring better social and economic outcomes for Tūhoe.
      • MSD and other participating Crown agencies worked closely with Te Uru Taumatua to confirm a recommitment to the Service Management Plan for the next five years. This will also address the recommendations from the recent review of the Service Management Plan.

Case study:
Marae environment reaches people

The Iwi/Crown relationship between Taumata Kōrero Tāmaki Makaurau Rōpū and MSD has achieved better results for Māori and the needs of our client whānau, while upholding kaupapa kōrero engagement that respects the kaupapa, the whānau and hononga.

Read Marae environment reaches people

Pacific Prosperity

Over the last year, we made significant progress against the actions outlined out in Pacific Prosperity by, for example:

  • forming a Pacific Steering Group and Pacific Reference Group as part of the MSD governance infrastructure; these groups are made up of external and internal membership and are both key to the development of Pacific Prosperity
  • launching Pacific Prosperity in eight Pacific languages as well as English
  • establishing Pacific Reference Group external community leaders and Pacific Leaders Forum internal Pacific champions nationwide
  • setting up a MSD Pacific Disability working group
  • translating MSD products and services into eight Pacific languages
  • embedding Pacific Prosperity across MSD
  • developing a Pacific lens in the Heartbeat survey
  • delivering Nga Vaka o Kainga Tapu family violence awareness training programmes in regions
  • establishing two Pacific Navigator roles focused on working with churches in Auckland
  • bringing the first Tupu Tai policy interns into MSD
  • launching Koko Talanoa, a Pacific mentoring initiative
  • setting up regional Pacific staff networks in Auckland, Dunedin and Christchurch
  • establishing a Pacific team in our Māori, Communities and Partnerships group
  • delivering eight ethnic-specific family violence prevention programmes
  • supporting Pacific providers to implement locally-led solutions such as outreach support, crisis services, access to essential needs and family violence prevention and response
  • enabling 300 job placements and training on the Auckland City rail project
  • developing a Social Services Accreditation Pacific framework.