Strategic direction

The Ministry takes a vital linking role across government agencies and between government and Pacific communities. Our knowledge about Pacific communities and the issues facing them enhances community development, government policy and service delivery.

bullet point icon  Read our Statement of Intent for 2010-2013 (PDF).

The Ministry will continue to provide quality information, advice and support to government agencies and other stakeholders in order to achieve our vision of Successful Pacific Peoples. We have organised our work programme and focused our resources on supporting the following priorities:

Lifting incomes and living standards for Pacific peoples

Lifting incomes and living standards for Pacific people is essential for personal, family and community wellbeing, and New Zealand’s overall economic and social development.

Education

Improving achievement in education, through joint efforts to increase early childhood participation, raise literacy and numeracy, and ensure Pacific children leave school with worthwhile qualifications and skills, is a fundamental step in this process. Better health services, improvements in the quality of housing, and the promotion of home ownership are also important.

Whole-of-government approach

The Ministry will work towards developing a whole-of-government needs-based approach to build the commitment and capability of key agencies to lift Pacific outcomes through initiatives such as the:

We will also explore opportunities for Pacific people within existing whole-of-government initiatives such as Whanau Ora.

Business

Obtaining better value from existing resources by promoting Pacific businesses, skills and enterprise through public and private sector collaborations will provide greater opportunities for training and employment, especially for Pacific young people.

Leadership

To enhance Pacific leadership the Ministry will work with key government agencies and organisations to develop
programmes targeted at building Pacific leadership capability across the public sector. We will also seek to extend work on
existing leadership initiatives such as the Pacific Youth and Leadership Transformation project (PYLAT).

Pacific remittances

Further work will be undertaken by the Ministry to promote the New Zealand-Pacific Remittances Project (which aims to reduce the cost of remittances to Pacific countries) and develop the companion financial capability awareness project. Read more about sending money to the Pacific.

 

 Making progress in Auckland

Auckland is critical to New Zealand’s overall economic performance. It is home to the majority of the country’s Pacific population.

The Ministry will work with communities and other stakeholders to implement its 'Auckland Pacific Strategy' (PDF) with a focus on the five strategic priorities it identifies. These include:

Governance and management

Strengthening leadership and providing governance and management support to non-governmental organisations (NGOs) are two important streams of work critical to the Ministry’s success in Auckland. We will also contribute to setting up the Pacific Advisory Panel as part of the Auckland Super City governance structure.

Business

The work of the Pacific Business Trust provides leverage to secure further opportunities for existing and new Pacific businesses, and for community groups to showcase Pacific cultures during the Rugby World Cup 2011 and beyond.

The Ministry will continue to promote and support partnerships between banks and selected Pacific churches to assist members of their congregations into their own homes. If the pilot programmes are successful, the model will be promoted to other churches and lending institutions throughout New Zealand.

Pacific NGOs provide important services to the community but require considerable support in governance, management and business development. The Ministry will work with the Pacific Business Trust and key stakeholders to strengthen leadership and governance in the Pacific not-for-profit sector, and in Pacific Early Childhood Centres.

Literacy and numeracy

The Ministry will continue to develop a literacy and numeracy training programme to be piloted by a large employer of Pacific people in Auckland. The aim is to assist skills development among Pacific workers and encourage progress towards better paying jobs.

 

Promoting Pacific languages and cultures

Promoting Pacific languages and cultures through the Pacific Languages Strategy is a critical development for Pacific people in New Zealand. Bilingualism has been shown to be effective in improving academic performance, supporting identity, and promoting social skills and economic prospects.

Language revitalisation is essential for three of the most at-risk Pacific languages in New Zealand (Cook Islands Maori, Tokelauan and Niuean). Further development of the three Mind Your Language websites will support the promotion and learning of the Cook Islands Maori, Tokelau and Niue languages in New Zealand.

The Ministry will continue to work with Pacific communities and agencies, and seek resources to implement the key actions identified in the strategy. This includes exploring bilingual opportunities in schools in Auckland.

In addition, we will further explore opportunities for promoting Pacific languages and cultures on radio and
television in collaboration with the Ministry of Culture and Heritage and key organisations within the broadcasting sector.

Across all these priorities, the Ministry sees a whole-of-government, needs-based approach as critical to making progress.

bullet point icon  Read more in our Statement of Intent for 2010-2013 (PDF).