Principal Advisor Māori

Permanent
- Wellington-based, but option to work from elsewhere provided you are able to travel to Wellington at least monthly

Help shape the future of Education
He mea tārai e mātou te mātauranga kia rangatira ai, kia mana taurite ai ōna huanga
We work to shape an education system that delivers equitable and excellent outcomes
At Te Tāhuhu o te Mātauranga | Ministry of Education, we work to provide services and support nationally, regionally and locally to the education sector, and in some cases, directly to ākonga and whānau.
We help shape the policies, settings and performance of the education system for early learning, schooling and tertiary. We do this by building relationships and understanding the needs of those who receive our services.
We are making significant changes to how we deliver our mahi by
- Taking practical action to give effect to te Tiriti o Waitangi.
- Giving priority to regional and local voice.
- Delivering greater responsiveness, accessibility and integrated services and support.
- Improving feedback loops and information flows.

Our organisation is made up of talented and committed people across Aotearoa from a wide range of backgrounds and cultures. While we work in different groups and on different things, we all strive every day to make the biggest difference we can for every child, young person and adult student in our education system.
Mātau rōpū ake | About our group and team
Te Mahau | Te Pae Aronui (Operations & Integration) use information, insights and service design functions to help the three Te Mahau frontline groups design and deliver services for our sector. Find out more about Te Pae Aronui here.
Te Pae Aronui was established as part of a wider change to provide the education sector with support and services that are more locally responsive, more accessible, and more integrated.
Te Pae Aronui provides the service design, data insights, regulation, learning and other support our three frontline Te Mahau regional teams rely on to support educators, ākonga, whānau and communities.
Mō tēnei tūranga | About this role
The Principal Advisor Māori supports the Manager Māori Claims to lead the design, development and implementation of key projects with the aim of developing sensitive claims policies and processes for Māori claimants. The Principal Advisor Māori will advise on how to successfully embed a tikanga Māori approach within the current sensitive claims process along with supporting the wider team with cultural leadership in te ao Māori, tikanga Māori and Te Reo Māori.They will also develop and maintain strong relationships and networks with iwi and relevant Māori organisations whilst ensuring that Te Tahuhu's sensitive claims processes are aligned to the Te Tiriti o Waitangi policy and underpinned by tikanga.
Please note there is further information in the attached Job Description.
Mōhou ake | About you
You will have a relevant tertiary qualification or equivalent experience, knowledge about Machinery of Government and be enthusiastic about delivering real business improvements that make a difference to sensitive claimants. You take a collaborative approach to your mahi and work well with others to present innovative and efficient responses to issues and opportunities.

**You will also offer the following**:

- Experience influencing others to enhance business performance
- Understanding of the necessary tikanga and mātauranga to reaffirm the mana of claimants, acknowledging the trauma and loss they have suffered
- Proficiency in te Reo Māori
- Comprehensive understanding of te ao Māori and tikanga Māori.
- Understands and acknowledges whakapapa as a strength and can encourage others to connect with their whakapapa, if they are comfortable to do so
- Strong service delivery ethic and the ability to consider issues relating to sensitive claims with empathy and aroha
- Strong analytical capability and excellent written and verbal communication skills
- Familiarity with Te Whare Tapa Whā model is desirable
- An understanding of Māori approaches to dispute resolution and/or understanding of tikanga within a dispute resolution context
- Some knowledge and understanding of Aotearoa's education system, relevant legislation and legal processes would be beneficial
- Ability to develop and maintain effective working relationships and influence change in others.

Kua rite koe mō tēnei mahi? | Are you ready to make a difference?
We want to provide flexible working environments where everyone feels relevant, valued and supported. So, if working from home and/or having a flexible start and finish to the day will help with this, we can usually make it happen. We'd love to hear what this might look like for you, so feel free to outline this in your Cover Letter.

**In your cover letter we'd like to know**:

- about you, your values, your whakapapa
- your interest and motivations for this role
- the abilities, strengths, personal attributes and div