Planning for changes to our strategic direction

We continued work on the Office's Te Ao Māori strategy

In 2021/22, we continued work on a strategy to further build the Office's capability in te ao Māori and relevance for iwi, hapū, and whānau Māori. We want the Office to continue to be seen as trustworthy by both partners to te Tiriti o Waitangi/the Treaty of Waitangi.

We are taking a phased approach to the development of our strategy. This year has included engaging widely with our staff about the strategy development approach. We have also worked on developing a common understanding of our role, responsibilities, and aspirations about te Tiriti/the Treaty and ensuring that this is reflected in our description of our values and recruitment and induction processes.

We’ve also started work to take stock of the role that our organisation has played over time in supporting improved outcomes for Māori. To improve our understanding of how well the accountability system serves the needs of Māori, we commissioned research into Māori perspectives on public accountability.

We are continuing to enhance our focus in our discretionary work programme on how well the public sector is supporting Māori to achieve improved outcomes. We have work planned to be completed in 2022/23 that considers how effectively the public sector is supporting the Whānau Ora approach and how well prepared public organisations are to meet their Tiriti/Treaty settlement obligations.

We will also continue to draw on external expertise to support how we shape and progress this work while we build our internal capability and expand our networks and relationships with Māori. In early 2022/23, we have appointed our first Director, Māori Capability and Engagement to help lead our strategy work.

We will build on the first phase of the strategy development in 2022/23. Our focus for the next phase of work will be building relationships and our te ao Māori capability.

Review of our strategic intentions

The medium-term strategy underpinning the Auditor-General’s strategic intentions to 2025 was produced in 2018. There have been significant changes in our operating environment and context since then. Because of this, we have started to review and refresh our strategic intentions.

In 2022/23, we intend to publish an updated strategic intentions document and begin implementing a new strategy for the organisation.