Almost $3 billion has been set aside by the government for kaupapa Māori initiatives. Now the Auditor-General wants to know if they're working. Photo / File
The Auditor-General has hurled criticism at the civil service for its reporting of the success of programmes designed to back Māori.
A 56-page report from John Ryan's office examines the outcomes of four initiatives aimed at addressing Māori kaupapa.
The report identifies a lack of understanding of by-Māori-for-Māori within the civil service in the spending of almost $3 billion in Māori funding since 2020, and questions whether Māori support the programmes, or are even told how they're supposed to work.
Four initiatives were studied: He Poutama Rangatahi, a Work & Income programme targeting youth training; the Māori Agribusiness Pathway, which aims to increase the productivity of farming assets; and Te Ahu o Te Reo Māori, a programme to develop te reo Māori competency in teachers.
The last, the Whānau Engagement programme, is described as practical, effective engagement with whānau - helping Ministry of Education staff in their interactions with Māori whānau of students with special education needs.
By Pākehā, for Māori?
A total of $900 million was set aside for kaupapa Māori in 2020 and $1 billion in both 2021 and 2022 but it appears that pūtea is potentially undermined by a civil service that doesn't seem great at listening to the people it's supposed to benefit.
"Relationships [between the civil service and Māori] demonstrated a strong sense of mutual trust," Ryan says, but while Māori leaders appreciated being involved in designing and implementing initiatives, there often wasn't enough consultation for the civil service to know if Māori thought their ideas were actually any good.
Auditor-General John Ryan is questioning whether the public service is doing enough to let Māori know if the government's kaupapa Māori programmes are actually working. Photo / John Kirk-Anderson / Stuff
“Balancing timely delivery against ensuring time is taken to understand what is needed, and how best to deliver it, is often a challenge for public organisations," Ryan writes.
“Building effective and enduring relationships takes time," he said.
"Meaningfully and authentically engaging with those they are looking to work with is important for any government initiative.
"From what we saw, taking this time is critical to success."
The report says Māori staff are crucial for their local knowledge and connections but, once the service hires them, it isn't necessarily good at keeping them.
Marae-based COVID-19 testing and vaccination clinics were a lifeline for Pākehā and Māori but the auditor general says they have left some Iwi organisations stretched. Photo / Te Puni Kōkiri
"It is important that public organisations acknowledge pressures and engage with Māori staff to understand how best to support them," the report says.
Conflicts of interest like the allegations levelled against staff are natural, Ryan says.
Rather than being the fault of Māori, it seems as though the service either doesn't want to or doesn't know how to deal with them.
Iwi organisations overburdened
A lack of understanding by the government of how much stress it puts on Iwi and Māori organisations in terms of resources, when it comes to partnering for its initiatives, is also a problem, Ryan says.
"Some receive frequent requests for their input and involvement but many have limited capacity." he wrote.
Ryan cited the work of iwi-run organisations, which provided vaccinations and well-being support for both Māori and non-Māori during the Covid-19 crisis.
Gannin Ormsby, Nanaia Mahuta's husband, had conflict of interest allegations levelled against him. Auditor-General John Ryan has questioned whether the civil service even knows how to deal with such claims. Photo / NZME
"In the past few years capacity has been stretched even more because they are supporting their communities with Covid-19-related issues," he says.
Improved coordination and less duplication are necessary to reduce burdens on iwi organisations, Ryan says.
"Ensure that efforts are well aligned, for example by consolidating reporting requirements across the contracts of each iwi or provider."
Accountability
The most scathing criticism was reserved for the accountability of how the government was spending money allocated to improve life for Māori.
"The initiatives we looked at have not yet done enough to report publicly on what they have achieved," Ryan argues.
“I have written extensively about my concern that reporting on new initiatives is not adequate for the Parliament and public to hold the government to account.”
Ryan hastens to add his accountability criticisms are not limited to Māori pūtea but to the service more broadly.
"This is not unique to these initiatives," his report says.
