As part of IR’s ongoing aspiration to improving oranga (wellbeing in its broadest sense) for all, we are strengthening our capability to serve all customers, including Māori.
Māori represent a large and growing part of the New Zealand economy. Our approach reflects this by focusing on the following key areas:
- IR’s Kaitakawaenga Māori provide services to both Māori and non-Māori customers based on their needs. Their services can be tailored, and they have additional capability to meet the needs of some Māori customers, including delivering services in a more iwi, hapū and whānau-centric way.
- Incorporating Māori voices and worldviews into policy design by engaging with our Tax and Social Policy Māori Reference Group and directly with Māori and their collectives.
- Building Māori cultural capability across IR through Te Awatea, a learning programme based on Te Arawhiti’s Māori Crown Relations capability framework.
Te Awatea supports progressive development—from building a foundational understanding in our people to becoming comfortable, confident and capable in working with Māori customers.
To date, Te Awatea has delivered learning at the foundation and comfortable levels. Work is underway to design and deliver the confident and capable levels, along with resources to help staff apply what they’ve learned in their roles.
IR is not currently responsible for Treaty of Waitangi settlement commitments and not required to report progress under He Korowai Whakamana framework.