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Te Ao Māori Strategy

Te Waka Hourua

Through our Te Ao Māori strategy, we are building relationships with tangata whenua to influence the long-term economic wellbeing of Aotearoa New Zealand.

Te Waka Hourua

Our Te Ao Māori Strategy

As Aotearoa New Zealand’s central bank, we are the kaitiaki (guardian) of the economy and financial system.

We weave Māori outcomes within our organisation, policy, processes, systems, ways of working and culture to help us achieve our vision of Matangirua ki Matangireia: Great Team, Best Central Bank.

Ngā pou

Our 3 pillars

Te Waka Hourua is guided by 3 pillars:

Te pānga kaupapa here
Policy impact

We acknowledge our responsibility as policymakers and guardians of the financial system. We strive for a sustainable economy that ensures the wellbeing of all New Zealanders.

Te whakapakari i te kawenga whakaaro
Advocacy building

We're committed to strengthening our connections with Māori. We do this by building partnerships as a cornerstone for meaningful engagement.

Te Tangata, Te Ahurea me te Whakahaere
Culture, people and organisation

We are dedicated to enhancing our individual and collective knowledge, and increasing our understanding of Māori language and culture.

Our pillars are informed by the Treaty principles.

Our pillars

Diagram showing our 3 guiding pillars (ngā pou)

Policy impact / Protection

Advocacy building / Partnership

Culture, people and organisation / Participation

Policy impact

We are integrating the unique, intergenerational and long-term view of Te Ao Māori into our core functions by understanding how monetary policy and financial stability impact Māori businesses and vice versa. 

We also continue to broaden our knowledge and understanding of the issues surrounding access to capital and financial inclusion and contribute to equitable opportunities for Māori economic development. 

Advocacy building

We are broadening our strategic relationships with iwi, rūnanga, Māori-owned businesses, government agencies, central banks, and other Māori organisations. 

We are building advocates and partnerships that are enduring and mutually beneficial. We are also part of an ongoing dialogue to improve understanding and awareness of economic and financial issues faced by indigenous peoples. 

The views and perspectives of the Māori organisations we have engaged with have helped inform our monetary policy decisions, our work on the future of cash and our review of the capital adequacy framework for registered banks.

Culture, people and organisation

We are embedding Te Reo Māori (the Māori language) and Māori tikanga (customary practices) into our organisational culture.

The first part of embedding Māori culture is developing the art of storytelling. With the approval of Northern hapu Te Roroa, we have re-imagined the legend of Tāne Mahuta to connect with our stakeholders and tell the story of the Reserve Bank.

Another important part is ensuring we promote and embrace Te Reo within our organisation. To support this initiative, we signed a Mahi-Tahi agreement (MOU) with Te Taura Whiri I Te Reo Māori (Māori Language Commission) in 2019. Te reo lessons, tikanga workshops and other opportunities to understand Māori history and culture are also provided to our staff.

The strategy is supported by an internal cross-department ohu (working group), senior leadership guidance, board oversight, and an external advisory panel of industry experts.