Principal Advisor Treaty Commitments

Tēnei tūranga – About the role 

As part of the Resource Markets Branch, the Principal Advisor Treaty Commitments 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 implementing and upholding the Crown's Treaty of Waitangi/Te Tiriti o Waitangi commitments and strengthening the Māori-Crown-relationship to achieve positive outcomes.

The Principal Advisor Treaty Commitments is responsible for providing advice on and actively engaging, liaising, developing, and managing relationships with iwi, hapū, key Māori organisations and other government agencies to ensure treaty commitments in the area of petroleum, minerals and other resources, are integrated into MBIE’S core business. The Principal Advisor Treaty Commitments 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 require knowledge of iwi relationships and Treaty commitment obligations.
• Working to assess the feasibility of Treaty settlement redress changes which impact the regulatory system pertaining to the mineral redress under the Crown Minerals Act 1991.  
• Working with delivery agencies and stakeholders on complex/sensitive policy and operational issues and assisting with the landing of advice/proposals for Treaty settlement, negotiation and legislative processes pertaining to the mineral redress under the Crown Minerals Act 1991.
• Leading work to ensure that treaty settlement redress legislation required to be delivered by the regulatory system pertaining to the mineral redress under the Crown Minerals Act 1991 is implemented in a timely and effective manner.
• The development of implementation material required to successfully implement change, including operational policy, processes procedures and guidance for internal and external stakeholders. 
• Assisting with the development, analysis and delivery of iwi consultation material and advice to support operational decisions and the landing of operational advice/decisions. 
• Effectively influencing through relationship management, and advising within the branch on engagement and with iwi/Māori and senior stakeholders.
• Providing advice to the branch to ensure iwi and hapū policy and permit consultation is conducted in accordance with legislation.
• 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.

Ngā herenga – Requirements of the role

Personal specifications

• Demonstrating an understanding of current Government policy and community views on the Treaty of Waitaingi/Te Tiriti o Waitangi and the implications for policy and service delivery groups.
• Experience in one or more of the following: development of policy, interpretation and application of legislation, and operational policy functions.
• Knowledge of public sector requirements and processes relating to legislation and regulatory change. 
• Ability to identify and appropriately manage and report on risks and issues. 
• Confident with te reo Māori and 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 across regulatory systems, and between project and operational teams.
• Excellent written and oral communication skills; demonstrated competence in effectively communicating complex ideas both orally and in writing to a wide variety of audiences.
• Diligence and attention to detail.
• Understanding the strategic context, current policy agenda and priorities, and ability to 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.
• 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.
• Experience at developing and delivering a work programme, including enabling tools and processes.
• You must have the legal right to live and work in New Zealand.

Takohanga tuhinga o mua – Key accountabilities and deliverables

Critical areas of success

• Developing robust strategic, operational policy and service design advice.
• Leading work to assess the feasibility of Treaty settlement redress changes which impact the regulatory system pertaining to the mineral redress under the Crown Minerals Act 1991.  
• Leading work with delivery agencies and stakeholders on complex/sensitive policy and operational issues and assisting with the landing of advice/proposals for the Treaty settlement, negotiation and legislative processes. 
• Leading projects to implement Treaty settlement redress legislation required to be delivered by the regulatory system pertaining to the mineral redress under the Crown Minerals Act 1991.  
• Ensuring that Senior Leadership and Ministers are informed and understand minerals redress commitments, including providing advice on the implications for policy and operational issues.  
• Providing input into regulatory system projects requiring knowledge of iwi relationships and Treaty commitment obligations and technical expertise. 
• Providing advice on iwi and hapū policy and permit consultation to ensure that it is conducted in accordance with legislation. 
• Assisting with the development, analysing and delivering iwi consultation material and advising to support operational decisions and the landing of operational advice/decisions.
• Applying appropriate frameworks to assess the feasibility of policy options and utilises expertise to advise on how to effectively translate policy intent into action.
• Scanning at an operational system level to identify critical system dynamics; tension points that need addressing; and opportunities for innovation and service and system improvement.
• Understanding policy issues in the wider context, including Government priorities.

Relationship Management

• Managing constructive working relationships with work colleagues and external stakeholders to enhance understanding and cooperation needed to achieve results.
• Establishing and maintaining 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, anticipating needs, predicting and planning for potentially controversial or sensitive issues.

Wellbeing, health & 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 Treaty Commitments position reports into the Manager, Operational Policy and Regulatory Practice and 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