signed 17 March 2025 re Tawhai.pdf

17 March 2025

Jo Tawhai

By email:   [FYI request #30125 email]

Tēnā koe Jo Tawhai
Re:
Information request
Our ref:
E25HDC00196
Thank you for your email of 18 February 2025 requesting:
“Please provide a copy of all current policies and procedures related to the
cultural team.
Specifically:
(1) Policies and procedures for all staff on when a case should be referred to
the HDC cultural team.
(2) Travel costs directly attributable to the HDC cultural team in the 2023-24
financial year.

(2) Hui-â-whânau (face-to-face hui, including zui, with complainants and their
whânau)
- Policies and procedures related to the use of Hui-â-whânau.
- General training and qualifications of the cultural team in how to conduct
Hui-â-whânau.
-  How  the  cultural  team  captures  the  discussion  and  outcomes  of  Hui-â-
whânau  and  whether  they  are  supplied  to  the  provider  (subject  of  the
complaint).
- How many Hui-â-whânau were conducted in 2023-24 financial year.
- Overall cost of all Hui-â-whânau conducted in 2023-24 financial year.
- Travel costs associated with Hui-â-whânau in 2023-24 financial year.
-  Outcomes  of  2023-24  Hui-â-whânau  (whether  complaint  resolved,  or  stil
open).
- How many Hui-â-whânau reports were supplied to providers in 2023-24.
- Feedback in relation to 2023-24 Hui-â-whânau (feedback policies, feedback
process, and actual themes of feedback).
- How the cultural team manages conflicts of interest and risk when conducting
Hui-â-whânau.

(3) Matariki and internal cultural events
  Auckland Office: P O Box 1791 Auckland 1140; Wel ington Office (new address): PO Box 245, Wel ington 6140
Freephone: 0800 11 22 33; Email: [Health and Disability Commissioner request email]; Website: www.hdc.org.nz

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- How many additional contractors or employees engaged (or paid koha) for
HDC  cultural  events  in  2023-24  financial  year  that  are  over  and  above  the
existing cultural team.
-  The  overall  cost  in  the  2023-24  financial  year  for  internal  cultural  events,
including additional contractors, food, and travel.
- The overal  individual cost for 2023-24 internal cultural events in Wellington,
and Auckland.

(4) Te reo Mâori
- How many staff were provided te reo Mâori lessons in 2023-24 financial year
at HDC full cost.
- How many te reo Mâori lessons were delivered internally by the cultural team
(2023-24).”
We have considered your request under the Official Information Act 1982.
Please find below our responses to your individual questions.
Policies and procedures for al  staff on when a case should be referred to the HDC
cultural team.
HDC holds no written policies or procedures that state when a case should be referred
to the HDC cultural team. We therefore refuse this aspect of your request pursuant to
section 18(e) of the Official information Act as the document alleged to contain the
information does not exist.
HDC’s  Standard  Operating  Procedures  (SOP)  outlines  the  functions  of  the  Māori
Directorate, but does not specifically state when a complaint should be referred to
them (as this is at the discretion of the decision-maker). Please find enclosed, for your
information, the page of the SOP titled Mātauranga Māori Advice and Processes.
Travel costs directly attributable to the HDC cultural team in the 2023-24 financial
year.
Total travel cost directly attributable to the HDC cultural team in the 2023-24 financial
year is $23,181, including $4,876 related to the Act and Code Review.
The Māori Directorate is an integral part of HDC’s team and works alongside other
teams to support HDCs purpose and performance. When HDC staff undertake travel
they do so in accordance with HDC’s travel policy. As is the case with all staff at HDC,
there  is  an  expectation  that  when  travel ing,  staff  members  will  use  the  time
effectively  and  efficiently  to  attend  multiple  meetings  or  engagements.  All  travel
undertaken is to support the purpose and functions of HDC.
Examples of purposes of travel include providing support to the consultation of HDC’s
Act & Code Review (which is a legislative requirement for HDC), supporting the Aged
Care  Commissioner  at  her  engagements  (a  requirement  of  the  Aged  Care

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Commissioner’s role), hui ā-whānau to support complaints resolution, and providing
training for HDC staff.
Hui-â-whânau (face-to-face hui, including zui, with complainants and their whânau)
Policies and procedures related to the use of Hui-â-whânau.
We do not hold a specific policy or procedure document for a cultural process.
However below is a description of our tikanga led hui-ā-whānau process. Note this is
one aspect of a broader HDC complaints resolution process:
-  Fol owing HDC’s triage of a complaint, the Māori Directorate may be
contacted for input.
-  Cultural needs and values are considered and complaint resolution pathways
discussed within Māori Directorate team (e.g., mātauranga Māori advice
and/or proceed with hui ā-whānau),
-  If a hui ā-whānau process is initiated, the complainant is invited to meet in
person or online to discuss their complaint. This hui provides the opportunity
for whānau (i.e., the complainant and/or the consumer and who they
determine their whānau support to be) to be heard and acknowledged, and
determine what resolution looks like for them.
-  Hui ā-whānau date, time and venue (i.e, online or in-person) is scheduled to
the availability of the whānau, including after-hours where needed.
-  HDC’s complaints process continues, and whānau voice and experience is
recorded and used within the process (for example in information requests
and HDC’s decisions) in support of their tino rangatiratanga being
acknowledged. Information requests, HDC’s provisional and final opinions,
the notification of any identified serious or systemic issues, or any other
relevant processes may occur before, alongside, or after hui-ā-whānau.

Hohou te rongo process:
-  Hohou te rongo process is initiated. This is a tikanga led process involving
whānau and the provider. The Māori Directorate facilitate resolution in line
with whānau aspirations. A key role of the Māori Directorate in this process is
to ensure the space for al  is safe ā-wairua, ā-tinana, ā-hinengaro and ā-
whānau.
-  Whānau resolution achieved.
-  Recommendations made (if any)
-  File closed by HDC’s Complaints Assessment Team.
General training and qualifications of the cultural team in how to conduct Hui-â-
whânau.
The qualifications and skills required for the roles are contained in the job descriptions
attached.
How the cultural team captures the discussion and outcomes of Hui-â-whânau and
whether they are supplied to the provider (subject of the complaint).

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With  each  hui-ā-whānau,  detailed  meeting  notes  are  recorded.  The  hui-ā-whānau
meeting notes are shared with the complainant and/or their whānau to ensure the
conversation is accurately recorded and the attendees’ voice is captured. The meeting
notes are saved to the file of the complaint they pertain to. HDC does not routinely
provide the meeting notes to the subject provider. However, as noted above whānau
voice and experience as captured by the hui-ā-whānau process wil  be acknowledged
throughout the process, including in information requests to the provider and in HDC’s
opinion reports. When the Māori Directorate are given an opportunity to engage with
providers for hohou te rongo, they may verbally share some of the discussions where
it is important to communicate what resolution looks like for whānau.
How many Hui-â-whânau were conducted in 2023-24 financial year.
47 hui-ā-whānau were completed in 2023-24 financial year.
Overall cost of al  Hui-â-whânau conducted in 2023-24 financial year
The overal  cost of al  hui-ā-whānau conducted in 2023-24 financial year is comprised
of  Māori  Directorate  team  members'  salary  cost  for  time  spent  and  travel  cost
associated  with  conducting  hui-ā-whānau. The  overal   cost  was  approximately
$10,694.
Travel costs associated with Hui-â-whânau in 2023-24 financial year.
Travel costs associated with hui-ā-whānau in the 2023-24 financial year was $ 2,823.
Outcomes of 2023-24 Hui-â-whânau (whether complaint resolved, or still open).
The  purpose  of  hui-ā-whānau  is  not  to  resolve  the  complaint  without  further
assessment, but to capture what is important to whānau as one part of our complaints
assessment process. The Māori Directorate provides support during the complaints
process.  Complaints  are  not  closed  or  resolved  by  the  Māori  Directorate,  meaning
there are no “outcomes” of hui-ā-whānau in relation to complaint resolution. That
said, understanding the complainant’s resolution needs supports the resolution of the
complaint.  To  ascertain  the  current  status  of  complaints  where  a  hui-ā-whānau
occurred would involve a manual search through complaints. Therefore, we refuse this
aspect of your request pursuant to section 18(f) of the Official Information Act, as the
information requested cannot be made available without substantial collation.
How many Hui-â-whânau reports were supplied to providers in 2023-24.
We do not routinely provide reports to providers. We therefore refuse this aspect of
your  request  pursuant  to  section  18(e)  of  the  Official  Information  Act  as  the
information does not exist.
Feedback in relation to 2023-24 Hui-â-whânau (feedback policies, feedback process,
and actual themes of feedback).
HDC is still in the process of receiving feedback as part of our evaluation process into
hui-ā-whānau and hohou te rongo. We are not in a position to release this information
until this process has been completed. Because this review is still in progress, we are
withholding this information pursuant to section 9(2)(g) of the Official Information Act

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to  maintain  the  effective  conduct  of  public  affairs  through  the  free  and  frank
expression of opinions by or between or to the Commissioner and her employees.
In relation to the information withheld, we are of the view that the reasons outlined
above  are  not  outweighed  by  other  considerations  that  render  it  desirable,  in  the
public interest, to make this information available.
How the cultural team manages conflicts of interest and risk when conducting Hui-
â-whânau.
See HDC’s Conflict of interest policy, enclosed.
Matariki and internal cultural events
How  many  additional  contractors  or  employees  engaged  (or  paid  koha)  for  HDC
cultural events in 2023-24 financial year that are over and above the existing cultural
team.
HDC did not engage any external contractors for HDC cultural events in the 2023-24
financial year.
The overall cost in the 2023-24 financial year for internal cultural events, including
additional contractors, food, and travel.
The overall cost in the 2023-24 financial year for internal cultural events, including
food and travel is $5,575.
The overall individual cost for 2023-24 internal cultural events in Wellington, and
Auckland.
The  overall  individual  cost  for  2023-24  internal  cultural  events  is  $4726  for  the
Wellington  office  (including  travel  cost  for  4  staff  members),  and  $849  for  the
Auckland office.
Te reo Mâori
How many staff were provided te reo Mâori lessons in 2023-24 financial year at HDC
ful  cost.
No staff were provided te reo Māori lessons by HDC in 2023-24 financial year.
How many te reo Mâori lessons were delivered internally by the cultural team (2023-
24)
No staff were provided te reo Māori lessons by HDC in 2023-24 financial year. During
Te Wiki o te Reo Māori (Māori language week) 2024 the Māori Directorate facilitated
a  session  for  staff  to  learn a waiata  together.  This was  available to  all  staff to  join
online.
Other information
Grounding  everything  we  do  in  honouring  our  responsibilities  under  Te  Tiriti  o
Waitangi ‘and ‘being a culturally safe organisation’ are all identified as priorities in our
strategic framework. Māori are a focus population for HDC. This framework can be
found on page 18 of HDC’s 2024 annual report.

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HDC’s Treaty of Waitangi Policy is attached. Please note that this policy is currently
under review.
Further information is included in the following documents:
  2022  Annual  Report  -  https://www.hdc.org.nz/media/gu5l4i d/hdc-annual-
report-2022.pdf
  2023 Annual Report - https://www.hdc.org.nz/media/wzpdch0g/hdc-annual-
report-2023.pdf
  2023/24
Statement
of
Performance
Expectations
-
https://www.hdc.org.nz/media/kmgnvawu/statement-of-performance-
expectations-2023-2024.pdf
  Case  study  -  https://www.hdc.org.nz/decisions/case-studies-nga-matai-
take/culturally-appropriate-care-making-recommendations-and-tailoring-
our-approach-to-meet-the-needs-of-whanau/
  Media release - https://www.hdc.org.nz/media/si1goudc/20hdc00719media-
release.pdf

You may seek a review of this decision from the Office of the Ombudsman.

Nāku iti noa, nā

Jane King
Associate Commissioner Legal

Enc
Conflicts of Interest Policy 2023

HDC Treaty of Waitangi Policy

PD- Kaitohu Māori-Director Māori

PD - Senior advisor-Māori-Pasifika-Aged-Care

SOP - Mātauranga Māori Advice and Processes