Why Te Puni Kōkiri Matters More Than Ever

15/5/2024

If you want to understand whether a government is truly committed to Te Tiriti o Waitangi, look closely at how it values, funds, and heeds Te Puni Kōkiri – the Ministry of Māori Development.

Te Puni Kōkiri holds one of the most complex and constitutionally significant roles in the entire New Zealand public service.

Its mandate is expansive and profound: to promote Māori achievement across all areas of public life and to steward the Crown’s relationship with Māori.

That’s not a symbolic responsibility: it is foundational to our democracy.

And Te Puni Kōkiri is one of the few institutions genuinely equipped to do that work.

“Ehara taku toa i te toa takitahi, engari he toa takitini.”

My strength is not that of a single warrior, but that of many. This is the spirit in which Te Puni Kōkiri operates: not as a solo voice in the system, but as a collective force, bringing the weight of whakapapa, lived experience, and constitutional principle into government.

Unlike most policy agencies, Te Puni Kōkiri is grounded both in Wellington and across the motu.

It operates a serious policy shop capable of high-level constitutional and economic analysis.

But just as importantly, it maintains a regional network of offices, embedded in the everyday realities of whānau, hapū and iwi.

That unique structure allows it to connect lived experience with system-level thinking. It understands what works in communities and can navigate the corridors of power: a rare and powerful combination.

Too often, Te Puni Kōkiri is treated as if it sits on the margins of the public service.

It is brought into projects late. Its advice is noted rather than heeded. Yet it is precisely the kind of institution we need more of.

It holds deep fluency in both Māori and Crown institutions. It is one of the only ministries capable of walking confidently in both worlds: understanding tikanga and law, whakapapa and Cabinet process, whānau aspirations and fiscal constraint.

Te Puni Kōkiri does not just work at the interface.

It is the interface.

It gives practical form to a constitutional relationship that is still, in many ways, unfinished.

That work is not easy. It involves tension, contradiction, and, often, pushing against the grain. But it is vital.

In a time when many agencies are inward-looking, Wellington-based, and overly managerial, Te Puni Kōkiri stands out.

It is future-facing, grounded, and principled. It understands that policy is not just about programmes or outcomes: it is about relationships, accountability, and constitutional integrity.

If Aotearoa New Zealand is serious about honouring Te Tiriti o Waitangi, then strengthening Te Puni Kōkiri must be more than a political talking point.

It must be a priority.

Because no other agency is doing the work it does: with the reach, depth, and care it brings to that responsibility. That is the strength of the many.

That is the strength of Te Puni Kōkiri.