Chief Advisor Māori

The Crown Response Office was established in September 2024 to coordinate and facilitate cross-government decision making and implement the Crown's response to the Abuse in Care Royal Commission of Inquiry. The Office sits within the Public Service Commission. The creation of the Office within a central Government agency was a key recommendation in the Royal Commission's final report, Whanaketia – through pain and trauma, from darkness to light.

The Crown Response Office plays an important strategic, advisory and coordination role to ensure the Crown is joined up and focused on the right priorities.

We currently have a fixed term or secondment opportunity to 30 June 2027 for a Chief Advisor Māori reporting to the Chief Executive, Crown Response Office.

The Chief Advisor Māori will facilitate and coordinate Māori/Crown relations in respect of the Crown's response and give effect to Te Tiriti o Waitangi by connecting with others in the system and integrating the Crown Response with their enduring work. 

This role will provide thought leadership from a te ao Māori perspective, working closely with the Chief Executive, the Leadership Team and other teams by looking across the system and advising on the Crown's engagement with iwi and Māori.  

The role will play a pivotal role in shaping policy, strategy and operational delivery through a Te Ao Māori lens and will support the Crown in fulfilling its responsibilities to Māori and Te Tiriti o Waitangi obligations as part of the Government's response to the Royal Commission's recommendations.

Key accountabilities include:

• Provide high-level strategic advice to the Chief Executive and leadership on Māori engagement, policy and strategy.
  
• Provide strategic advice to agencies that have established networks and relationships with Māori survivors, Te Tiriti partners, and Māori groups/organisations to ensure the Crown response work programme reflects their perspectives, as required.  
  
• Provide strategic guidance to enduring agencies engaged in the Crown response, ensuring the integration of Crown response priorities that support Crown-Māori relations into their ongoing work programmes.
  
• Facilitate purposeful engagement with agencies that have established networks and relationships with Māori survivors, Te Tiriti partners, and Māori groups/organisations to ensure the Crown response work programme reflects their perspectives, as required.  
  
• Bridge connections and leverage wider Crown network to ensure stakeholder perspectives inform the development of policies or initiatives to support the Crown response, enhancing relevance and effectiveness where necessary.
  
• Gather evidence-based insights and intelligence to inform strategies, policies and actions.
  

You will bring:

• Advanced proficiency in te reo Māori and tikanga Māori.
  
• In-depth understanding of Te Tiriti o Waitangi and the implications of Te Tiriti on today's society and public service.
  
• Proven experience working with Māori communities, whānau, hapū and iwi.
  
• A comprehensive understanding of the machinery of government including the structures, functions and processes within the public sector.
  
• Highly developed influencing and relationship-building skills, particularly in a cross-agency context.
  
• Understanding of organisational systems and the ability to navigate large, complex environments.
   

This position is a fixed term or secondment opportunity until 30 June 2027.

The full-time salary range for this role is $164,759 to $215,281 and is negotiable depending on skills and experience.

If you have any questions related to the role please email careersatcrownresponseoffice@publicservice.govt.nz. You can also email your application to this address if you are having technical difficulties applying online.

Applications will close at 5pm on Sunday 29 June 2025. You must have the right to live and work in New Zealand to apply for this job.