Whanaketanga Māori Māori Development

In February 2020 Jane Wrightson began her term as Mana Ahungarua / Retirement Commissioner. Following an early review of the status of the Māori development journey of the organisation, the Commissioner moved quickly to create a new platform for change to build stronger Māori language and cultural capability. Sir Professor Pou Temara and Te Taura Whiri i te Reo Māori were consulted to obtain a Māori name for the organisation which reflected this. The Māori name is: Te Ara Ahunga Ora Retirement Commission.

A Kaihautū / Director, Māori Development position was established in October 2020. In mid-2022, Erin Thompson (Ngāti Rangiwewehi, Ngāi Tāmanuhiri, Ngaati Tiipa) was promoted to Kaihautū / Director, Māori Development, taking over from Dr Kathie Irwin. 

Erin leads engagement with Māori to understand financial capability and retirement from a Māori perspective. She helps drive improvement in retirement outcomes for Māori by connecting and aligning the Te Ara Ahunga Ora Retirement Commission’s work with related industry and government workstreams. Previously the Kaikōkiri for the Te whai hua – kia ora, Sorted in Schools programme, Erin comes from a teaching background. She is a strong advocate for kaupapa Māori, te reo Māori, and mātauranga Māori, and has a wealth of experience in iwi and community planning and development, and iwi governance.

Who we engage with 

We work with various Māori stakeholders across our different focus areas, including: the roll out of the National Strategy for Financial Capability, the delivery of the many financial capability Sorted products and services, research projects and the three-yearly Review of Retirement Income Policies. Schools and kura are also part of our stakeholder engagement through the delivery of Sorted in Schools and Te Whai Hua - Kia Ora in Kura Kaupapa Māori.

Co-design is one approach that Te Ara Ahunga Ora will take in its desire to work flexibly when partnering to create better outcomes with iwi / Māori. Our preferred co-design approach is the ‘He Awa Whiria’ model, developed by Professor Angus McFarlane of the University of Canterbury. We believe this model is authentic to Aotearoa, can accommodate the Treaty of Waitangi and the dual worldviews which each Treaty partner works from, while delivering enhanced outcomes. A key feature of the model is that while a project may start and end in a common place, it offers flexibility to explore ideas through different approaches (worldviews) as it considers different options within a project’s life.

There will likely be times when a ‘by Māori, for Māori’ approach may be more relevant and we will willingly work in this way. Our work with Ngā Kura Kaupapa Māori, in the development of Te Whai Hua – Kia Ora, for example, is evidence that we can and have worked in a ‘by Māori, for Māori’ way with success.

The partnerships will be evaluated using a mixed methods approach appropriate for the specific partnership. Evaluation methods will include wānanga, evaluations, qualitative methods, and quantitative methods.

Our Treaty partnership approach: 1. Te Tiriti/The Treaty, 2. Crown Agency/Entity: PSA 2020, 3. Critical Theory/Kaupapa Māori Theory, 4. He Awa Whiria. Braided River Approach, 5. Public Policy Māori Outcomes, 6. Māori Strategy

As an Autonomous Crown Entity, Te Ara Ahunga Ora acknowledges the significance of the Treaty and the ways in which it can inform the delivery of better Māori outcomes. The new Te Ara Ahunga Ora Māori Strategy will articulate the vision, mission and plan to create enhanced Māori outcomes. 

Te Ara Ahunga Ora’s response is informed by both the articles and the principles of the Treaty. The articles and principles we uphold in the following ways, workshopped with kaimahi during the Cultural Capability Training Programme.