Principal Advisor – Iwi Relationships

Tēnei tūranga – About the role

As part of the Resource Markets Branch, the Principal Advisor, Iwi Relationships position is a collaborative, strategic and influential role, that acts as a connector of people, providing high quality advice across the Resource Markets system with a focus on upholding the Crown's Te Tiriti o Waitangi/Treaty of Waitangi commitments and strengthening the Māori-Crown-relationship to achieve positive outcomes.

The Principal Advisor, Iwi Relationships is responsible for providing advice and actively engaging, liaising, developing, and managing relationships with iwi, hapū and key Māori organisations to ensure Māori interests in the area of petroleum, minerals and other resources, are integrated into MBIE’S core business. The Principal Advisor, Iwi Relationships is responsible for:

• Providing strategic advice, intellectual leadership and support for programmes of work and cross-branch/cross-group project teams on complex and sensitive areas that Māori interests.
• Effectively influencing through relationship management, engagement and communication with Treaty Partners and senior stakeholders.
• Ensuring the Branch effectively participates in the Treaty settlement, negotiation and legislative processes including working with Te Arawhiti on Treaty Settlement negotiations pertaining to the mineral redress under the Crown Minerals Act 1991.
• Leading work to ensure that treaty settlement redress is implemented in a timely and effective manner.
• Providing advice to the branch to ensure Iwi and hapū policy and permit consultation is conducted in accordance with legislation.
• Relationships with iwi and hapū , hapū and key Māori organisations are developed and maintained. Bringing te ao Māori perspectives into the mahi of branch, lifting the capability to be comfortable and confident when partnering with Māori and representing the bicultural partnership.
• Building and maintaining partnerships with key Māori organisations and supporting the branch, their leadership team and teams within the wider BRM group in developing and maintaining regulatory partnerships with Māori.
• Representing Resource Markets and the wider BRM group on external platforms that provide the opportunity for partnership with Māori.
• Lifting knowledge and understanding of the benefits of positive engagement with iwi/hapū within the group and enhancing the overall capability through guiding and mentoring teams in their work.

Ngā herenga – Requirements of the role

Personal specifications

• Demonstrated understanding of current Government policy and community views on the Treaty of Waitangi and the implications for policy and service delivery groups.
• Knowledge and experience of the aspirations and needs of Māori including evidence of involvement in Māori networks
• Confident with te reo Māori me on tikanga – take part in general conversation with speakers of te reo Māori, be comfortable in marae and/or other te ao Māori environments.
• Demonstrated credibility with key internal and external stakeholders and ability to maintain relationships and feedback loops.
• A proven track record of experience and achievement in working with senior leadership teams and providing high level strategic advice in a complex environment.
• Ability to quickly assimilate new information or areas of work.
• Ability to quickly establish and build strong working relationships, develop trust and credibility.
• Excellent written and oral communication skills.
• Diligence and attention to detail.
• Understands the strategic context, current policy agenda and priorities, and can see policy issues in the wider context and apply foresight and judgement to identify what is important for the area in the medium and long term.
• Able to draw on expert knowledge iwi and regional relationships as well as broad knowledge from other domains to critically assess information from a wide variety of sources and identify implications for analysis and advice.
• Has the intellectual capability to work with multiple complex ideas in parallel as well as being able to integrate multiple concepts and pathways and deal comfortably with ambiguity.
• Is sensitive to how people and organisation function, deals comfortably with organisation politics and anticipates land mines and plans approach accordingly.
• Experienced at developing and delivering a work programme, including enabling tools and processes.

Qualifications

• A relevant tertiary qualification, experience of working with Māori communities, iwi, hapū and key Māori organisations, and experience of working in a policy and service delivery agency.
• Has the legal right to work and live in New Zealand.

Takohanga tuhinga o mua – Key accountabilities and deliverables

Relationship management

• Manage constructive working relationships with work colleagues and external stakeholders to enhance understanding and cooperation needed to achieve results.
• Establishes and maintains strong, professional relationships and networks with iwi, hapū and key Māori organisations.
• Providing robust advice and intellectual leadership on the strategies and engagement that recognises Te Ao Māori world views, choices and constraints, anticipates needs, predicts and plans for potentially controversial or sensitive issues.
• Providing specialist advice and intellectual leadership in the areas of māturanga Māori, kaupapa Māori frameworks and Te Ao Māori to BSP.
• Providing BSP with advice and support as they engage with and integrate a te ao Māori perspective into their work programme development. Participates as an active team member and contributes knowledge and expertise needed to achieve the Ministry’s outcomes.
• Represents whole of Ministry views and protects its reputation in external interactions.
• Communicates complex engagement issues and concepts clearly and succinctly. Contributes to the effectiveness of stakeholder relationships using a range of appropriate measures and processes using highly developed influencing, negotiation and collaboration skills and experience to build and maintain important relationships and partnerships with internal and external stakeholders
• Supports the leadership teams in building and maintaining relationships with iwi and key Māori organisations in the building sector.
• Works in partnership with the General Managers, Māori Kaiwhakahaere and other key stakeholders across /MBIE in relation to iwi and Māori related matters relevant to RM.
• Contributes to an assessment of existing engagements with Māori, identifies areas for development, develops an action plan, and leads the implementation of the plan.
• Proactively develops and maintains connections with stakeholders within and outside of the Ministry, purposefully leveraging their activities and insights to better achieve desired policy outcomes.

Deliver work programme outputs

• Identifies Māori strategic issues and opportunities emerging from external and internal influences and makes recommendations to integrate these topics into a work programme.
• Effectively and consistently identifies and manages risk, alerting leadership teams to potential problems/risks well in advance and proposing solutions.
• Knows when to work alone and when to seek advice and identifies resources necessary to meet objectives of self or team.
• Can manage strategically difficult projects and relationships that span complex issues over an extended period of time.
• Chairs and contributes to meetings, including where matters are complex or sensitive, require negotiation or working towards solutions.
• Provides authoritative advice that recognises the choices and constraints senior leadership and or Ministers face, anticipates needs, predicts and plans for potentially controversial or politically sensitive issues, and presents frank advice even if those tests views and preferences.
• Uses project planning and management techniques to effectively carry out the agreed policy work, within the resources available and provides timely reports on progress.
• Works will little guidance - identifies the overall policy objectives and seeks guidance where required and uses initiative to resolve conflicts, manage risks and coordinate work with others.

Leads multiple pieces of work concurrently and actively and independently plans and manages workload Capability Development

• Provide support to the General Manager and Leadership Team of RM through the use of positive and sound administrative, engagement and communication strategies.
• Takes a forward looking and proactive strategic approach and seeks opportunities to implement new ideas and methods for the branch.
• Works across the Branch and Group to provide a Māori and Regional perspective on key resource, energy and communications programmes.
• Works with the Leadership Team to build capability in teams and to provide expert advice on engagement with iwi, hapū and key organisations.
• Develops and implements a programme to lift the knowledge, and understanding of positive engagement with regions, iwi and hapū within the group.
• Assists with the development, analysis and delivery of material that underpins relationship management programmes.
• Provides management of the Client Relationship Database activities associated with iwi and regional engagement activities.
• Takes responsibility for iwi engagement evaluation activity.

Wellbeing, health and safety

• Displays commitment through actively supporting all safety and wellbeing initiatives.
• Ensures own and others safety at all times.
• Complies with relevant safety and wellbeing policies, procedures, safe systems of work and event reporting.
• Reports all incidents/accidents, including near misses in a timely fashion.
• Is involved in health and safety through participation and consultation.

Tō tūranga i roto i te Manatū – Your place in the Ministry

The Principal Advisor, Iwi Relationships position reports into the Manager, Regulatory Practice and Branch Operations within the Resource Markets branch. The branch sits within the Building Resources and Markets group.

More information about MBIE’s structure

To mātou aronga – What we do for Aotearoa New Zealand

Hīkina Whakatutuki is the te reo Māori name for the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment. Hīkina means to uplift. Whakatutuki means to move forward, to make successful. Our name speaks to our purpose, Grow Aotearoa New Zealand for All.

To Grow Aotearoa New Zealand for All, we put people at the heart of our mahi. Based on the principles of Te Tiriti o Waitangi / The Treaty of Waitangi, we are committed to upholding authentic partnerships with Māori.

As agile public service leaders, we use our breadth and experience to navigate the ever-changing world. We are service providers, policy makers, investors and regulators. We engage with diverse communities, businesses and regions. Our work touches on the daily lives of New Zealanders. We grow opportunities (Puāwai), guard and protect (Kaihāpai) and innovate and navigate towards a better future (Auaha).

Ngā matatau – Our competencies

Cultivates innovation We create new and better ways for the organisation to be successful by challenging the status quo generating new and creative ideas and translating them into workable solutions.

Nimble learning We are curious and actively learn through experimentation when tackling new problems by learning as we go when facing new situations and challenges.

Customer focus We build strong customer relationships and deliver customer-centric solutions by listening and gaining insights into the needs of the communities we serve and actively seeking and responding to feedback.

Decision quality We make quality and timely decisions that shape the future for our communities and keep the organisation moving forward by relying on an appropriate mix of analysis, wisdom, experience, and judgement to make valid and reliable decisions.

Action oriented We step up, taking on new opportunities and tough challenges with purpose, urgency and discipline by taking responsibility, ownership and action on challenges, and being accountable for the results.

Collaborates We connect, working together to build partnerships with our communities, working collaboratively to meet shared objectives by gaining trust and support of others; actively seeking the views, experiences, and opinions of others and by working co-operatively with others across MBIE, the public sector and external stakeholder groups.

Te Tiriti o Waitangi

As an agency of the public service, MBIE has a responsibility to contribute to the Crown meeting its obligations under Te Tiriti o Waitangi (Te Tiriti). Meeting our commitment to Te Tiriti will contribute towards us realising the overall aims of Te Ara Amiorangi – Our Path, Our Direction, and achieve the outcome of Growing New Zealand for All. The principles of Te Tiriti - including partnership, good faith, and active protection – are at the core of our work. MBIE is committed to delivering on our obligations as a Treaty partner with authenticity and integrity and to enable Māori interests. We are committed to ensuring that MBIE is well placed to meet our obligations under the Public Service Act 2020 (Te Ao Tūmatanui) to support the Crown in strengthening the Māori/Crown Relationship under the Treaty and to build MBIE’s capability, capacity and cultural intelligence to deliver this.

Mahi i roto i te Ratonga Tūmatanui – Working in the public service

Ka mahitahi mātou o te ratonga tūmatanui kia hei painga mō ngā tāngata o Aotearoa i āianei, ā, hei ngā rā ki tua hoki. He kawenga tino whaitake tā mātou hei tautoko i te Karauna i runga i āna hononga ki a ngāi Māori i raro i te Tiriti o Waitangi. Ka tautoko mātou i te kāwanatanga manapori. Ka whakakotahingia mātou e te wairua whakarato ki ō mātou hapori, ā, e arahina ana mātou e ngā mātāpono me ngā tikanga matua o te ratonga tūmatanui i roto i ā mātou mahi.

In the public service we work collectively to make a meaningful difference for New Zealanders now and in the future. We have an important role in supporting the Crown in its relationships with Māori under the Treaty of Waitangi. We support democratic government. We are unified by a spirit of service to our communities and guided by the core principles and values of the public service in our work.

What does it mean to work in Aotearoa New Zealand’s Public Service?(external link) — Te Kawa Mataaho The Public Service Commission