The Government's vision for sustainable economic development requires a more integrated approach to policy making and implementation across government. It requires greater collaboration between agencies dealing with economic, social and environmental issues. Increasingly central and local government are working together in partnership with businesses, Māori, economic entities and other community groups to facilitate business investment, provide training to lift skills and increase job opportunities. Being able to participate in the economy is a key factor in reducing inequality and overcoming disadvantage.

Information is provided about both departmental and non-departmental activities funded to other entities through Votes administered by the Ministry.

The Ministry has specified Reducing Inequalities as one of seven key goals in its 2001-2004 Strategic Plan.

Overview of Key Policies and Programmes

Key outputs targeted specifically at reducing inequalities in the year 2000/2001 included:

Regional development initiatives to improve opportunities for Māori people. The Ministry's work with the Tairawhiti Development Taskforce has been centred around a partnership between central government, local government, Māori and the private sector.
Industry NZ administered the BIZ programme, comprising BIZ Training and BIZ Info, which included purchasing services aimed specifically at Māori, Pacific peoples and women and incorporating participation targets for these groups for other services.
The Ministry of Consumer Affairs delivered an information programme for Māori and Pacific Island consumers.
The Ministry of Consumer Affair's Energy Safety Service worked with the Kaitakawaenga Māori, and Gisborne communities and agencies, to promote public electricity and gas safety awareness.
A 3G block of radio spectrum was set aside from the auction of 2GHz frequencies in February 2001 for purchase by a Māori Spectrum Trust to promote Māori participation in the telecommunications and information technology sectors.
The Ministry of Economic Development initiated meetings involving Te Puni Kōkiri, Te Whakaruruhae, Te Mangai Paho to discuss and agree on the application process for granting of Māori reserve licences for AM/FM broadcasting.
Treaty of Waitangi settlements were reached with Te Uri O Hau and Ngati Ruanui. Both settlements include protocols describing the ongoing relationship the Ministry will have with these iwi concerning the management of minerals and petroleum.
The Trade Marks Bill introduced in June 2001 contains provisions to address registration of Māori words and symbols as trade marks.
The Hillary Commission co-ordinated the He Oranga Poutama programme to provide Sport and Recreation Opportunities for Māori and Pacific peoples.
A Māori Tourism Strategy to ensure appropriate involvement of Māori in developing an industry led national tourism strategy.

Building Capability and Improving Analytical Frameworks

The Ministry has implemented initiatives internally to improve knowledge and understanding within the organisation of the Treaty of Waitangi, and to improve policy development processes to ensure any specific implications for groups who may be disadvantaged, particularly Māori and Pacific peoples, are taken into account:

A revised policy development framework has been developed to ensure regulatory and economic policy advice includes assessment of impacts on key stakeholders, particularly groups that may be disadvantaged.
Progress has been made in increasing knowledge and understanding of the Treaty of Waitangi, and the issues around it and the Crown's obligations to improve responsiveness to Māori. Training has been provided for 179 Ministry staff and managers throughout the year on the Treaty of Waitangi and tikanga Māori.
The Ministry's Treaty Issues Analysis Guide provides a comprehensive approach to identifying and appropriately analysing Treaty issues. The Guide was developed by a cross-Ministry team in consultation with Te Puni Kōkiri, SSC, the Ministry of Justice and the Crown Law Office.
The Ministry of Consumer Affairs has published a Responsiveness to Māori manual to advise their staff about their obligations under the Treaty of Waitangi and to assist in addressing Māori perspectives and meeting the needs of Māori consumers. An internal Māori Reference Group/Te Roopu Tohutoro Māori has been established

Specific Programmes by Vote Undertaken during 2000/2001

Outlined below are targeted areas of activity where funding has been specifically dedicated to reducing inequalities during the 2000/2001 financial year. These include departmental and non-departmental activities according to each programme by Vote.

Vote Industry and Regional Development

The Ministry is working closely with a number of regions. Eastern Bay of Plenty, Northland, Tairawhiti, and South Waikato have been identified as having acute development needs. In these relatively disadvantaged areas, Māori form a substantial proportion of the population. The Ministry is assisting these regions to identify key economic development opportunities, and is working with local authorities, leaders, businesses, communities and iwi to take advantage of these opportunities. The Ministry is also working with these regions to identify significant barriers to economic development, and ways of overcoming them.

BIZ Programme

The BIZ programme, comprising BIZ Training and BIZ Info, was administered by Industry NZ. The training involved improving the management capability of the owners or operators of Small and Medium Enterprises. BIZ Info provided an information and referral service for existing businesses and for those wishing to establish a business. The focus of BIZ Training is on skill and information transfer through seminars and workshops, with follow-up coaching.

Strategies to maximise the participation of target groups in the BIZ Programme included contracting with Māori providers, purchasing services aimed specifically at Māori, Pacific peoples and women and incorporating participation targets for these groups for other services.

The BIZ Programme is delivered through 42 private sector providers. Eight (19%) of the contracted providers are Māori owned or operated. These providers deliver their services predominantly to Māori and have wide geographic coverage. A further 26 contracts are in place with providers who demonstrate capability to reach Māori and Pacific peoples. These providers have targets for Māori participation ranging from 5% to 49%, and for Pacific peoples participation ranging from 1% to 75%.

In addition, the Poutama Trust and the Pacific Business Trust are two of the four shareholders in NBIS Ltd, which is contracted to manage the nation-wide BIZ info information service component of the programme. Of the 27,457 people who attended the programme, 3,696 were Māori Women, 2,649 were Māori Men, 269 were Pacific Island Woman and 459 were Pacific Island Men.

Evaluations or Research Projects and Key Findings

A comprehensive independent review of the BIZ Programme was undertaken in late 2000 by the BERL-NRB-Massey University Consortium. The key improvements arising from the evaluation included extending the programme to include pre start-up businesses, and placing more emphasis on one-to-one client capability assessments and post training follow-up coaching.

Administration and Monitoring of the BIZ Programme

This involved providing administration and monitoring of payments for business and regional development services delivered by third parties as part of the BIZ programme. Industry NZ administers this programme.

Schedule of Expenditure (GST inclusive)

	BIZ Programme	BIZ administration	% (of total budget)
Māori Women	$1,652,136	$301,908	13.46%
Māori Men	$1,184,481	$216,450	9.65%
Pacific Island Woman	$120,289	$21,981	0.98%
Pacific Island Men	$204,983	$37,458	1.67%
Total	$3,161,889	$577,797
Total Budgeted expenditure	$12,393,000	$2,262,000
Total Actual expenditure	$12,274,411	$2,243,000

The basis for this allocation is the number of places filled on each programme

Vote Communications

Part of the overall policy budget was dedicated to establishing procedures to determine, prior to future radio spectrum auctions, whether the spectrum concerned should be used for the promotion of Māori language and culture. Draft procedures were established by 30 June 2001 developing options for assessing the potential of spectrum for Māori language and culture. As this work was part of the overall policy advice on radio spectrum, there was no specific costing available for the project.

Advice was provided on the extent to which the proposed Māori spectrum trust could assist to increase Māori participation in the information technology and telecommunications sectors. A 3G block was set aside from the 2GHz frequencies auction for purchase on favourable terms by a Māori spectrum trust to promote Māori participation in the telecommunications and information technology sectors. This is now available for transfer to the trust.

Vote Consumer Affairs

Specific programmes were targeted at Māori, Pacific Island and low income consumers, with the aim of ensuring greater representation of informed consumers at decision-making levels in these areas.

Measures to assess the effectiveness of the projects under Vote Consumer Affairs included needs analyses and post-project assessments that sought to measure and define changes that have occurred as a result of the programme delivered. Feedback is constantly sought from stakeholders and/or communities that we are targeting.

Consumer Issues Awareness Project

The Consumer Issues Awareness Project involved providing information to Māori consumers on their rights and obligations under consumer law, and promoting their rights to safe products and their safe use. This is part of a programme jointly undertaken to provide information to Māori consumers concerning gas and electricity safety under Vote Energy.

The project involved:

promoting key consumer messages in the Tairawhiti region;
providing consumer issues awareness to Māori consumers via training and support to Māori Women's Welfare League;
promoting the Consumerkids website to Māori children via Pukana television programme; and
re-running survey on how Māori women receive information.

Evaluations or Research Projects and Key Findings

A report from the Māori Women's Welfare League on the Consumer Issues Awareness Project included the following key findings:

Kanohi ki te kanohi (face to face) approach has a proven rate of high success.
Information is a key contributor in assisting Māori with their social and economic disparities.
Promotions need to be ongoing to ensure that people are informed and that they are conversant of their rights as consumers.

Schedule of Expenditure (GST inclusive)
(includes funding from Vote Consumer Affairs and Vote Energy)

Budgeted Expenditure	Actual Expenditure
$236,000	$223,400

Provision of Information to Pacific Island Consumers on Their Rights and Obligations under Consumer Law

This programme involved:

broadcasting consumer messages on Triangle Television and Pacific Island radio stations;
a monthly consumer column in Pacific Island newspaper;
disseminating information and conducting consumer seminars;
presenting education package for community advisors at Otara Pacific Island Presbyterian Church; and
the Pacific Island Consumer Education Strategy Programme in Christchurch.

Evaluations or Research Projects and Key Findings

An evaluation of the Pacific Island Consumer Education Strategy Programme illustrated Pacific Island consumers and communities in the Christchurch region will have greater capacity to:

identify consumer issues and access consumer information;
make well-informed consumer decisions;
understand their rights and responsibilities as consumers;
understand what avenues are available to them to enforce their consumer rights; and
provide feedback on consumer policy developments.

Schedule of Expenditure (GST inclusive)

Budgeted Expenditure	Actual Expenditure
$203,000	$175,000

Vote Energy

The Energy Safety Service of the Ministry of Consumer Affairs operates to achieve safe products used safely.

Key issues for the Energy Safety Service of the Ministry of Consumer Affairs concerned the safe supply and use of gas and electricity, and gas and electrical appliances.

Tairawhiti Project

This project involved the provision of advice and low cost solutions to common electrical and gas problems in the Tairawhiti region.

The project involved:

home and school safety seminars;
encouraging appliance testing among second-hand dealers;
undertaking electrical safety checks of homes and Marae; and
establishing and training Safety Advisors to provide safety advice to the community.

Evaluations or Research Projects and Key Findings

Key organisations provided feedback on the success of the project by way of a survey. The survey provided an average rating of 3.75 on a scale up to 4.

Schedule of Expenditure

Budgeted Expenditure	Actual Expenditure
$56,250	$42,700

Vote Sport, Fitness and Leisure

The Hillary Commission is working with Māori to establish how best to enhance their participation in physical activity, and to ensure the Māori dimension is encompassed in all its work. Key initiatives include establishing a Māori Advisory Board (Roopu Manaaki) which commenced in August 2000. This group reports on all aspects of the Commission's work.

The Hillary Commission is actively working to improve the responsiveness of its key industry partners to meeting the needs of Māori through initiatives such as:

Funding national governing bodies of sport, fitness and leisure to establish or improve relationships with Māori participants;
Regional Sports Trusts in Manawatu, Bay of Plenty, Northland and Hawkes Bay signing memoranda of understanding with their local iwi, with a significant number of other trusts being in the process of doing so. Nine trusts also deliver partnership programmes with Māori; and
Programmes to engage Māori in physical activity are also implemented through a range of hapu and iwi initiatives. The physical activity component often forms part of a larger festival.

Programmes for Pacific peoples are delivered regionally and locally, largely in response to an identified need. Six of the 17 Regional Sports Trusts deliver programmes that specifically target Pacific peoples. Sport Waitakere, which stages the annual Pasifika Games encompass a variety of sports and involve a large number of New Zealand Pacific peoples as well as those from other South Pacific countries, undertaking a one year Pacific Island programme called Vasa Pasifika. This is funded directly from the Hillary Commission.

He Oranga Poutama Sport and Recreation Opportunities for Māori and Pacific Peoples

He Oranga Poutama has been successful in engaging Māori in sport and physical activity, with over 200 marae involved with the programme. Currently there are 14 Kaiwhakahaere based in regional sports trusts to deliver the He Oranga Poutama Programme.

Schedule of Expenditure (GST inclusive)

This was a mixed funding initiative between the Hillary Commission through a Crown appropriation and Lotteries Grant Board funding. The figures below include both sources of funding, however the total funding from the Crown appropriation for 2000/2001 was $448,000.

Budgeted Expenditure	Actual Expenditure
$759,375	$937,722

Breakdown by Group

$901,160 of the actual expenditure was for work related to Māori. This included funding co-ordinators and sponsorships, the balance of expenditure on training and hui.

$36,562 of the actual expenditure was for work related to Pacific peoples funding co-ordinator.

Vote Tourism

Report on Māori Tourism

The Office of Tourism and Sport and Te Puni Kōkiri commissioned a report titled He Matai Tapoi Māori: A Study of Māori in Tourism June 2001, on the business impediments and opportunities for Māori in tourism. The aim of this report was to determine the extent of Māori involvement in the tourism sector in employment, investment, business ownership and commercial performance, and identify impediments and opportunities for improvement. Recommendations were received around further research, a Māori tourism strategy, further consultation, representation, access to finance, training and skills development, intellectual property and product development.

The report will be presented to the Ministers of Māori Affairs and Tourism in early October 2001.

Schedule of Expenditure (GST inclusive)

Budgeted Expenditure	Actual Expenditure
$131,962	$107,203

These costs are solely for work relating to Māori.

Report on Māori Involvement in National Tourism Strategy

A Report was commissioned during 2000/2001 on how to involve Māori in developing an industry-led national tourism strategy with consideration to developing a Māori Tourism Strategy. This report included facilitating the Māori Tourism Advisory Group (MTAG) to meet and provide advice and peer review the tourism strategy.

Māori organisations provided peer review and advice on the content and recommendations of the strategy to ensure it was appropriate to Māori. MTAG's views were incorporated into the final strategy document and MTAG endorsed the Strategy.

Schedule of Expenditure (GST inclusive)

Budgeted Expenditure	Actual Expenditure
$52,000	$38,188

Breakdown by Group

These costs are solely for work relating to Māori.

Report on a strategy to ensure the proper incorporation of Māori imagery, icons and cultural values in Tourism NZ marketing programmes

This project aimed to ensure the proper incorporation of Māori imagery, icons and cultural values in Tourism NZ marketing programmes and was monitored through Statement of Intent and Annual Report.

This is ongoing work funded across marketing and management services budgets and therefore there is no specific costing available.

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Printed: 26/11/2009