He pou tokomanawa: Integrity that people can see, feel, and experience

For the public sector to be trusted, we need to show we are trustworthy and acting in the interests of all New Zealanders. Key to this is integrity. We know, however, that consistently operating with integrity doesn’t happen by chance. It requires a “whole of organisation” commitment and approach.

The Office I work in is one of several that has a role to play in leading and supporting integrity in the public sector, and we undertook to develop some guidance for public sector leaders.

When we published the integrity framework in 2022, it was an important milestone for our organisation. We urged chief executives, leadership teams, and governing boards to consider the framework in the context of their organisations.

We have had feedback that organisations are using the framework; some chose to focus on specific elements of the framework to enhance their approaches, while others use the framework in its entirety to assess their integrity baselines.

The framework and accompanying guidance was the synthesis of New Zealand and international research on organisational integrity. It was partially informed by Māori frameworks and our Office’s work on Māori perspectives on accountability.

However, as acknowledged at the time, and as subsequent feedback has confirmed, there was more work to do to better integrate te ao Māori into the framework. Doing this has been our focus when refreshing the framework and guidance.

Listening to Māori voices

“You can’t start a conversation about integrity in New Zealand unless you start with Te Tiriti o Waitangi.” — Māori public servant

It was clear early on that for the framework to resonate with all public servants, we needed to engage meaningfully with Māori. This process began with wānanga, which brought together Māori public servants in person and online, creating a space to reflect on the framework and a forum to discuss three questions:

• What is integrity (and is this the same for a public organisation)?
• What does it look like in practice?
• What are the outcomes of integrity – what would be seen?

These discussions, along with the values in the Public Service Act 2020, the 2022 research on Māori perspectives on accountability, and our Office’s own work on developing an ao Māori conceptual framework that provided a way to think about how we work and why that matters to Māori, have shaped the changes we have made to the framework.

The feedback from the wānanga sessions challenged our initial approach. It pushed us to consider integrity as something not just internally maintained, but something observed and lived through relationships, both within an organisation and with the people that organisation serves.

Tika, pono, and aroha

“Deeds speak louder than words. If a commitment to integrity isn’t realised in the eyes of the public, then integrity is an issue.” — Māori public servant

Integrity is shaped by the context in which we live. There is no single authoritative definition of integrity for Māori. However, most definitions speak to having an observable, steadfast commitment to work ethically (tika), with honesty (pono), and with accountability in all aspects of one’s (or an organisation’s) activities. It requires one to have a strong moral compass and accept responsibility for one’s actions. Aroha is also central to integrity — showing compassion and empathy are essential to building trust.

This insight reinforced the idea that integrity is not just about internal policies and processes. It is about how tika, pono, and aroha are lived through the actions of individuals and organisations. Incorporating these concepts into the framework has meant that there is now a stronger focus on how organisations demonstrate these values in their relationships with the people they serve.

Te Tiriti o Waitangi | The Treaty of Waitangi as a foundational element

“If an ao Māori perspective is to be integrated into the integrity framework, then it is essential that reference is made to te Tiriti and its foundational role in integrity.” — Māori public servant

Feedback from the wānanga made it clear that any conversation about integrity in New Zealand must start with and be grounded in Te Tiriti o Waitangi | The Treaty of Waitangi. In its original form, the framework was focused mainly on internal organisational processes. While an organisation may conduct parts of its role with integrity, or employees may have personal integrity, if the organisation’s commitment to supporting the Crown’s relationship with Māori under Te Tiriti o Waitangi | The Treaty of Waitangi is not being realised in an observable way, then the organisation’s integrity may be questioned.

Incorporating Te Tiriti o Waitangi | The Treaty of Waitangi into the framework has strengthened it by better reflecting New Zealand’s unique public sector and its responsibilities in supporting the Crown’s relationship with Māori.

Collective vs individual integrity

“From a Western viewpoint, we’re comfortable talking about integrity in terms of individual behaviour – whether someone is acting ethically or not. But from a Māori perspective, it’s more about collective responsibility.” — Māori public servant

A Western view of integrity often centres on individual accountability – whether someone upholds the organisation’s values or follows the code of conduct. Through our wānanga, we came to understand that Māori perspectives on integrity include this concept, but also encompass a much broader, collective understanding. Integrity is not just about individuals; integrity reflects the organisation as a whole.

This challenged the traditional individualised view of integrity that had shaped some aspects of the framework. It meant that we needed to take a more holistic approach. Rather than focusing only on individual behaviours, we needed to explore how organisations as a collective maintain trust, fulfil commitments, and act with integrity.

Although the original integrity framework was not entirely built around individual integrity, the focus on collective responsibility needed to be strengthened, particularly from an ao Māori perspective. We changed our focus to emphasise that while individuals play a role in upholding ethical standards, the organisation itself must foster an environment that supports and encourages its people to uphold integrity at every level.

Pou tokomanawa: A metaphor for integrity

“Like any important structural element, a pou tokomanawa must have a solid foundation that fixes it in place… providing stability and assurance to the whare.” — Māori public servant

The metaphor of the pou tokomanawa, the central post of a whare, offered a clear way of thinking about integrity in public organisations. Just as a pou tokomanawa provides strength and stability, integrity must be at the heart of an organisation, grounding it in a solid foundation.

Our discussions emphasised three key aspects of integrity that align with this metaphor:

• A solid foundation: Integrity must be built on a firm base, much like a pou tokomanawa anchors a whare. Without a clear understanding of purpose (“why we are here”) and values (“how we should go about our work”), informed by our constitutional framework, an organisation’s integrity is at risk.
• A strong core: Integrity must be at the heart of an organisation, giving it the strength to act ethically, responsibly, and morally. This requires the practices, systems, and policies that influence an organisation’s culture to be aligned to its purpose and values.
• External representation: Integrity must be visible. Just as a carved pou tokomanawa represents the identity of the whare, integrity must be demonstrated through an organisation’s actions and relationships with those it engages with or provides services to.

Viewing integrity through this lens helped us position it as central to everything a public organisation does. Integrity cannot be an afterthought.

Hope for the future

Our review – with its particular focus on incorporating Māori perspectives of integrity – has brought a new depth to the framework and has helped to ground it in the responsibilities and expectations unique to the New Zealand public sector. Each round of feedback has shaped the framework to be more inclusive, while highlighting the complexities of developing a collective approach to integrity.

We set out to help guide public servants in their decision-making and support a culture where integrity is visible in every aspect of an organisation’s operations. My hope is that the framework supports public sector leaders in their role to sustain a transparent, honest, and accountable public sector – so everyone they serve can see, feel, and experience a New Zealand public sector that has integrity at its heart.