Hon Tama Potaka
Minister for Māori Crown Relations: Te Arawhiti

Mehemea he pai mō te tangata, mahia – if it’s good for the people, get on with it.

Enhanced reporting on the public sector’s delivery of Treaty settlement commitments will help improve outcomes for Māori and all New Zealanders, Māori Crown Relations Minister Tama Potaka says.

Compiled together for the first time in over 30 years of Treaty settlements, the Whole of System (Core Crown) Report on Treaty Settlement Delivery outlines how 26 core Crown agencies have assessed their progress in meeting their Treaty settlement commitments.

For the 2023/24 reporting period, 77 per cent of the 14,594 core Crown commitments with a status assigned are completed or on track, 18 per cent are yet to be triggered, and five percent are reported to have delivery issues.

“The government is strongly committed to honouring Treaty settlements and delivering better public services. Having this data can help agencies improve their delivery on commitments,” Mr Potaka says.

The report resulted from He Korowai Whakamana, a Cabinet-agreed framework approved in 2022 requiring Crown agencies to record, track, and report annually on the status of Treaty of Waitangi settlement commitments.

“It’s important to remember the complexity of settlement commitments can vary greatly - some may involve sending letters of introduction while others could involve complex land transfers.

“While the clear majority are on track, there’s a small percentage where complications have arisen, and the commitment may not be delivered as intended, or within the timeframe specified.

“Some of these issues have since been resolved. For example, with Base Woodbourne, redress provided for in Treaty settlements with Kurahaupō iwi was unable to be delivered as intended, however, through a resolution process with Iwi, this issue was resolved and is now considered complete.

“Continued annual reporting will help ensure sustained investment in delivery by core Crown agencies and, over time, demonstrate an increase in settlement commitments being delivered, as well as improved agency practice.

“There is a lot of mahi to do and the Government will continue to refine practices to complete this work more expeditiously.”

Notes:

It’s important to remember the complexity of settlement commitments can vary greatly, for example meeting some commitments may involve sending letters of introduction while others could involve complex land transfers.

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