At Te Tari Taake Inland Revenue we have a strong commitment to, and focus on, building an inclusive workplace for all our people. Where everyone feels valued, respected, and supported to reach their full potential and do a great job. This is important for us as an organisation, for the way we deliver services for New Zealanders and for the steps we are taking to become a Te Tiriti-based organisation.
Everything we do starts and ends with people. Through our Te Pou o te Tangata behaviours of Whanaungatanga, Manaakitanga and Mahi Tika we support each other, care for those around us and do they right things, so we can continue to make Aotearoa New Zealand an even better place to live and work. These behaviours help us to incorporate Māori values and concepts into the heart of how we behave and work together.
Te Pou o te Tangata helps us create an inclusive workplace, where diversity is valued, and we are open and accountable for what we do.
Understanding and recognising the experiences of Māori
As we move towards becoming a Te Tiriti-based organisation we are committed to understanding and recognising the experiences of Māori at Te Tari Taake in terms of career development and the barriers they face.
Our Māori Representation Roadmap responds to the insights and shared experiences gathered from our people through kōrero and kanohi-ki-te-kanohi (face-to-face) discussions. It was developed in partnership with Māori across Te Tari Taake to establish and identify actions that will create a positive impact on Māori representation, bring about meaningful change to career development and in turn reduce Māori pay gaps. This focus is supported and reinforced through guidance from Te Kawa Mataaho Public Service Commission in Kia Toipoto – Public Service Pay Gaps Action Plan and the specific outcomes relating to Māori.
The Roadmap also takes into account our mahi on Māori outcomes identified in Tuitui te Hono - Māori Outcomes research, including the use and preservation of te reo Māori, matauranga Māori, oranga tangata (the holistic wellbeing of a person), oranga whānau (the holistic wellbeing of family), and oranga whenua (the holistic wellbeing of the natural land).
Māori representation and pay gaps
Over a number of years we have been working to ensure gender and ethnicity do not determine what people are paid. In the last 3 years we have seen a steady decline in Māori pay gaps for both wāhine and tāne Māori.
Currently Inland Revenue has a Māori pay gap of 8.7%, in 2021 it was 12.8%. The current level is driven by representation. Although we have high representation within our frontline and lower paid roles, the levels of Māori reduce in higher paid, more senior or influential roles.
While Māori representation at Te Tari Taake has remained relatively steady at around 12%, the decline in pay gap is a positive sign initiatives put in place for Māori have been effective. But we need to do more.
Creating change and taking action
Our focus in this Roadmap is to reinforce our commitment to increase Māori representation and support career development outcomes for Māori across all levels of the organisation. It covers four areas to create this change and the actions we will take.
The first is to attract Māori to want to join Te Tari Taake. This will enable us to increase overall representation of Māori across the organisation and includes targeted recruitment, supporting leaders’ cultural capability, internships, and graduate opportunities for Māori.
Our second area of focus is on career development by supporting the development of our people through active partnership and working together, and ensuring our practices and processes support Māori to achieve their career goals.
Leadership and the role of people leaders, and how they should support their people, is the third area. The wider focus is on leadership as a capability in areas including te ao Māori, unconscious bias, Whanake conversations, Te Pou o te Tangata leadership induction and development, and inclusive leadership.
Our wider working environment is the fourth area of focus, bringing together actions that create an environment that supports and enables Māori to be who they are. We want to create a workplace that not only supports Māori, but the wider organisation to better incorporate te ao Māori into everything we do.
The year ahead
Over the coming year our Māori Representation Roadmap will support mahi on career development outcomes for Māori across Te Tari Taake and for those joining the organisation. The actions in the Roadmap provide a focus and direction for our work and I look forward to seeing us creating positive and meaningful change for our people.