Director – Maori, Regions

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.

Tēnei tūranga – About the role

Kānoa – Regional Economic Development & Investment Unit (Kānoa – RDU) is established to be the focal point within Government for regional economic development. The Director Māori, Regions will be a new leadership position in the Kānoa – RDU reporting to the General Manager, Regions.

New Zealand’s economy is built on its regions and the Government wants to make regions’ economies stronger and more resilient to improve the economic prospects, wellbeing and living standards of all New Zealanders. Kānoa – RDU was established to deliver the Government’s strategy of financially supporting economic development in and is dedicated to investing in regions to help them build their economy and communities.

The Director will support Kānoa – RDU to give effect to this and support to Unit to ensure Māori economic development and outcomes for Māori is supported through all areas of regional economic development. The Director will support the lifting of capability across the Unit as a whole to effectively partner and engage with Māori to ensure we are well positioned to deliver on the Crown’s responsibilities under Te Tiriti o Waitangi / Treaty of Waitangi in the development and delivery of regional economic development policy and systems.

This will include:

• Identifying and driving Treaty partnership priorities, and leading the development of the ensuing strategies, policies and initiatives, particularly related to regional economic development.
• Guiding our teams in how our services, interactions, and messaging are developed so that they meet the needs of Māori, Crown, and communities.
• Advancing and supporting the development of MBIE’s strategic alliances with Māori across our funding programmes.
• Leading initiatives to enhance the Kānoa – RDU’s capability to deliver on its responsibilities under Te Tiriti o Waitangi / the Treaty of Waitangi.
• Contributing where required, supporting, and advising on the development of Hīkina Whakatutuki/MBIE’s strategic alliances with Māori across the system.
• This role recognises the importance MBIE places on our partnership with Māori to achieve collective economic, employment and wellbeing aspirations, and the ways regional economic development work directly impacts Māori communities.
• Supporting the capability of Kānoa-RDU colleagues pertaining to Whāinga Amorangi, to enable them to authentically partner with Māori.
• Partner with Kāhui Paerangi, Māori Directors to collectively contribute to connections that regional economic development may have on other areas of MBIE.
• Contributing to Te Tāpuhipuhi, MBIE’s Partner with Māori strategy.

Ngā herenga – Requirements of the role

Ngā hiahia matawhaiaro - Personal specifications

• Extensive knowledge and experience in technical decision making and making business decisions with financial impacts, particularly relating in regional economic development and investment management.
• Māori leadership experience and ability to work with and influence senior leaders and decision-makers to achieve organisational objectives.
• Experience of the operating environment of Kānoa – RDU and current Government policy and community views on Te Tiriti o Waitangi/Treaty of Waitangi.
• Fluency in Te Reo Māori and a strong understanding of Te Ao Māori and Tikanga.
• Development networks, experience and credibility working with Māori communities, Iwi, hāpu and Māori organisations, which gains the trust and support of peers and collaborators.
• Excellent written and oral communication skills and can be effective in a variety of formal and informal presentation settings.
• Self-confidence and tenacity driven by own personal mana and passion to bring about change that will enhance the wellbeing of regions and communities.
• A strong track record of achievement of results and ability to maintain a clear focus on long term goals.
• Must have the legal right to live and work in NZ.
• Senior leadership experience and tertiary qualification in relevant discipline, ideally law, finance, or business-related discipline along with knowledge and experience from having performed a similar role.

Takohanga tuhinga o mua – Key accountabilities and deliverables

Te mahi – The Role

• Provides expertise and advice to Kānoa – RDU senior leadership on the development of MBIE’s strategic alliances with Māori particularly relating to regional economic development & investment.
• Supports and advises on the work needed to ensure the Crown is well positioned to deliver on its responsibilities under te Tiriti o Waitangi / Treaty of Waitangi in regional economic development.
• Supports Whāinga Amorangi within Kānoa-RDU through active demonstration of supporting others, use of te-reo, sharing of knowledge of Te Ao Māori and Tikanga.
• Partners with senior managers to lead complex or ambiguous strategies, policies and initiatives with significant sensitivity and risk.
• Applies system, strategic and critical thinking, clear and logical reasoning and sound judgement to analyse issues.
• Manages the delivery and landing of advice and tasks with senior managers, ministers and stakeholders and presents frank advice even if that tests Ministers’ views and preferences.
• Participates as an active team member and contributes knowledge and expertise needed to achieve MBIE’s outcomes.
• Is a trusted advisor / sounding board for Kānoa – RDU leadership team and employees.
• Understands the commercial and social drivers of regional economic development and the implications of this for the Treaty partnership and Māori.

He aratakinga tōpūtanga - Collective Leadership

Provides strategic leadership and advice on the development of capability in Hīkina Whakatutuki/MBIE to:

• Partner effectively with Māori in Regional Economic Development.
• Incorporate Te Ao Māori approaches and perspectives into the delivery of MBIE’s regional economic development function.
• Leads the development of MBIE’s strategic alliances with Māori across the regional economic development function.
• Partners with Hīkina Whakatutuki/MBIE’s Māori advisors and experts to drive and enable a joined up approach across similar areas of interest.
• Leads across MBIE to ensure regional economic development is being achieved through a Māori lens, and contributes to the organisational strategy to enable realisation Māori economic wellbeing.

Te Hautūtanga Matawhaiaro - Personal leadership

• Models exemplary management and leadership behaviours, and State Sector ethics and values.
• Provides a sense of vision and leadership that engages and motivates others to participate and make things happen.
• Fosters an open, collaborative environment that encourages quality, innovation, on-going learning and knowledge sharing across MBIE.
• Provides intellectual support and coach others on relationship management, monitoring, government systems and knowledge of institutional practice.
• Provides constructive, timely and specific feedback to others.

Te Whakahaere Whanaungatanga - Relationship Management

• Builds strategic alliances to effectively influence and contribute to an authorising environment, through the building and maintaining of enduring relationships with Māori, and external and internal stakeholders.
• Represents whole-of-Ministry views and protects its reputation in any external interactions.
• Builds and maintains effective relationships and partnerships with internal and external stakeholders, as necessary, in order to identify and share best practice information and to promote the Hīkina Whakatutuki/MBIE, its products and services.
• Develops effective working relationships with other Hīkina Whakatutuki/MBIE directors, managers and colleagues in order to transfer knowledge and learning from the team to the wider organisation.
• Participates as an active team member and contributes knowledge and expertise needed to achieve MBIE’s outcomes.

Te toiora, te hauora me te haumaru - Wellbeing, health & safety

• Manages own personal health and safety, and takes appropriate action to deal with workplace hazards, accidents and incidents.
• Ensures own and others’ safety at all times.
• Complies with relevant safety legislation, 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 Director – Māori, Regions position reports to the General Manager – Regional Development within Kānoa – RDU.

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.

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