Kia ora Alanah,

 

Thank you for your enquiry. Unfortunately the request from fyi.org.nz was
caught in the Ministry's spam filter, and we have only recently received
it.

 

Your request has been logged as 18-D-02224 – please quote this number if
you need to contact us about it.

 

Our Mana Taiao team are preparing a response to your questions, which we
will forward to you as soon as possible.

 

Thank you for your patience, and apologies for the delay.

 

 

Executive Relations team
Ministry for the Environment – Manatû Mô Te Taiao
Website: [1]www.mfe.govt.nz 
23 Kate Sheppard Place, PO Box 10362, Wellington 6143

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Kia ora Alanah,

 

Thank you for request of 26 September 2018 under the Official Information
Act 1982.

 

As previously noted, your request was incorrectly caught in our spam
filter. We apologise for the delay in responding to you.

 

Please find the answers to your questions below:

 

a.      Does your organisation have legal responsibilities under the
Treaty of Waitangi?

The Waitangi Tribunal and the Courts have found that active protection of
the Māori language is a Government responsibility under the Treaty of
Waitangi.

The Tribunal found that te reo Māori is a taonga (valued possession)
protected by Article II of the Treaty of Waitangi.

b.      Does your organisation have legal responsibilities to engage with
te reo Maori in some way or another? Does your organisation have a duty
(such as in its charter, or its empowering legislation) to reflect New
Zealand's cultural identity?

The government is committed to improve results for Māori and to meet its
obligations as a Treaty partner. To do this, the Crown/Māori relationship
must be strong and the Crown, Māori and all New Zealanders must agree on
what should be done to achieve this.

 

A healthy Crown/Māori relationship will assist the Crown and Māori to:

·         Improve outcomes for Māori and the nation generally; and

·         help ensure the two parties meet their respective Treaty
obligations

 

Understanding iwi perspectives and issues at the front end of our policy
and programme development will ensure the Ministry for the Environment
delivers products that are effective and fit for purpose.

 

The Ministry needs to engage with iwi because both the Crown and iwi have
a strong stake in the development and management of natural resources. For
iwi, natural resources are; central to iwi identity (land, rivers,
mountains and the foreshore are key reference points for the identity of
each iwi), central to iwi economic development and at the heart of Treaty
claims.

c.       Does your organisation have a formal policy, strategy, or
commitment, relating to te reo Maori ability and proficiency for staff?
(If so, can you please provide a copy of it)?

We incorporate strategies to increase te reo Maori ability and proficiency
wherever possible and are committed to this. We offer beginner and
advanced Te Reo classes for staff and work has started on a review of our
Te Reo Maori Strategy which will include revisiting our Te Reo capability
needs.

d.      Does your organisation have a policy on diversity and inclusion?
(If so, can you please provide a copy of it)? –

Not at present.  We recognise the need to value, reflect and understand
the communities we serve, and working along-side the wider State Sector we
are part of the Diversity and Inclusion Network.  Work is underway within
our Sustainability Strategy to develop a strategy for diversity and
inclusion within the Ministry. 

e.      How many staff in your organisation are recorded as being fluent
in te reo Maori?

One staff member is currently certified for their Te Reo Māori by the Te
Taura Whiri i Te Reo Maori and receiving a level 3 Te Reo Allowance.

f. Has your organisation provided any te reo Maori lessons or education to
staff in the past 12 months? (If so, how many staff has it provided those
to, and what was the format of the lessons?) –

Yes. We provide four courses a year (two in beginners in Te Reo and two
for advanced beginners). These consist of 10x 1 hour classes each course.
34 people participated.

g. Does your organisation have any te reo Maori lessons or education
scheduled to be provided to staff in upcoming 12 months? (If so, how many
staff does it intend to provide those to?)

Currently we have one beginners and one advanced scheduled in the first
half of 2019. We expect this to be extended to another one of each before
the end of 2019. Once all four have run we expect around 30 people will
have participated from January to December 2019. 

h How many personnel does your organisation currently engage? (Please
include full-time staff, part-time, employees, and volunteers)

Headcount as at 31 October 2018 is 475
Full-time-equivalent (FTE) as at 31 October 2018 is 368.8
(Permanent/Fixed/Intern/staff seconded out only)

i. Does your organisation have any personnel who manage the relationships
between your organisation and Maori communities? (If so, how many
personnel are engaged for that purpose?)

Engagement and relationship management with Iwi/ Māori is supported across
the Ministry. The Directorate that supports projects associated with
Treaty of Waitangi negotiation, Treaty settlement implementation and Iwi/
Māori relationships has a current budget of 15.4 FTE.

 

We hope this information is helpful.

Nāku noa, nā,

 

 

Sam Dawson

Lead Business Partner, People and Culture
Ministry for the Environment – Manatū Mō Te Taiao
Website: [1]www.mfe.govt.nz 
23 Kate Sheppard Place, PO Box 10362, Wellington 6143

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