The Public Service is committed to building and maintaining capability within organisations to engage with Māori and understand Māori perspectives.
Te whakawhaake i te kaha o te hononga i waenga i te Māori me te Karauna i roto i te Ratonga Tūmatanui Building Māori Crown capability in the Public Service
The Public Service Act 2020 places explicit responsibilities on Public Service leaders to develop and maintain the capability of the Public Service to engage with Māori and to understand Māori perspectives.
Te Taunaki Public Service Census 2021
Public servants are building their capability to engage with Māori and are being supported by their agencies to do so, this was reflected in Te Taunaki Public Service Census 2021.
In Te Taunaki, we saw that most public servants (69%) understood how their agency's Te Tiriti o Waitangi | the Treaty of Waitangi responsibilities apply to its work. 73% of respondents valued their knowledge of te reo Māori and want to grow it. Some 65% said staff at their agency are encouraged to use te reo Māori, 59% are supported to develop their skills and 58% use at least some te reo Māori at work.
Growing Māori Crown Capability
To support the Public Service to meet these commitments, Te Tari Whakatau | Office of Treaty Settlements and Takutai Moana (formerly Te Arawhiti – Office for Māori Crown Relations) developed and led the implementation of Whāinga Amorangi: Transforming Leadership. This was supported by Te Kawa Mataaho Public Service Commission, Te Puni Kōkiri Ministry of Māori Development and Te Taura Whiri i te Reo Māori Māori Language Commission.
The Whāinga Amorangi framework has helped all Public Service agencies develop plans to build their individual and organisational capability to engage with iwi Māori, focusing on te reo Māori, the history of Aotearoa New Zealand and the Treaty of Waitangi. All plans were assessed and endorsed by a panel of experts in early 2022.
From 24 February 2025, the Māori Crown Relations functions were transferred to Te Puni Kōkiri. This includes responsibility for Whāinga Amorangi.
Resources available to support the system to grow their capability include:
Cabinet Te Tiriti o Waitangi Guidance for policy makers
Te Reo Māori capability
The recognition of these responsibilities in the Public Service Act 2020 also aligns with the government’s commitments under Maihi Karauna. Maihi Karauna is the Crown’s Māori Language Strategy that addresses the revitalisation of te reo Māori and sets a vision for the future of te reo Māori.
Maihi Karauna — Te Puni Kōkiri
Other resources to support use of te reo Māori across the Public Service include:
Te Taura Whiri I te Reo Māori Register of Translators and Interpreters