Pacific ministry pushes new strategy despite brief consultation and uncertain future

The Ministry for Pacific Peoples (MPP) is pressing ahead with a refreshed plan to deliver better outcomes for Pacific families, even as its future remains uncertain amid a public service review.

In an interview on Pacific Mornings, MPP’s Chief Executive, Gerardine Clifford-Lidstone says consultation on the draft strategy - Delivering for Pacific Communities closes on Friday.

“The Ministry's undergone a strategic reset and what we're trying to do is just align things closer to the government's priorities and match them up with the long term aspirations of Pacific peoples,” Clifford-Lidstone says.

“The areas that we believe have the greatest impact: economic growth, health, housing, education and law and order.”

The strategy builds on the foundations of Lalanga Fou which was launched in 2018 and the Pacific Wellbeing Strategy released in 2022 which were developed in response to the priorities and conditions of their time.

Lalanga Fou set a long-term vision for thriving Pacific communities in New Zealand while the Pacific Wellbeing Strategy translated that vision into measurable wellbeing goals across areas like health, housing, education and culture to track government progress.

The Ministry for Pacific Peoples connects government to Pacific communities, aiming to create thriving communities and is the Crown’s principal advisor. Photo/Supplied

MPP ran an extensive, months-long consultation in 2018 for Lalanga Fou holding face-to-face talanoa sessions in more than 20 locations across New Zealand.

For the Pacific Wellbeing Strategy, about six-weeks of consultation was allocated which combined online feedback, targeted workshops and meetings with Pacific community leaders.

The most recent draft strategy has only a three-week consultation period which Clifford-Lidstone says aims to balance meaningful input with fiscal constraints, using a mix of face-to-face talanoa, online submissions and one-on-one conversations with community leaders.

Watch Gerardine Clifford-Lidstone's full interview below.

The Ministry has faced significant cuts to its budget with reductions of nearly $26 million over the next four years, the termination of the Dawn Raids reconciliation programme, and the end of the Tauola Business Fund.

In the past year, the ministry also faced significant staffing cuts with 57 roles axed, 36 of them being vacant.

Clifford-Lidstone acknowledged some frustration with the short timeframe but said existing relationships meant the ministry could gather robust feedback quickly.

“I think the biggest opportunity that we have is to really look at the data quality and the insights from our community,” Clifford-Lidstone says.

“In terms of trade-offs, I think in periods of constraint, there’s opportunities for innovation and I think particularly in the data and digital space.”

Following engagement with the community, Clifford-Lidstone acknowledges that her ministry needs to be more proactive in showing leadership

She says after consultation, advice will be provided to the Minister for Pacific Peoples, Dr Shane Reti.

Minister for Pacific Peoples Dr Shane Reti (right). Photo/Supplied

When asked last week about a possible merger of smaller ministries such as the MPP, Pacific Minister Dr Shane Reti says the Public Service Commissioner is still reviewing such decisions and no Cabinet deadlines have been set.

In an interview on Pacific Mornings on Tuesday, Reti accepted the possibility of structural change but stressed Pacific communities would continue to see services delivered regardless of the ministry’s eventual shape.

“We still need as a ministry to do a good job with housing Pacific people,” Reti says.

“We still need to do a good job with health, we need to do a good job with education, we need to do a good job with law and order and infrastructure and economy.”

Watch Dr Shane Reti's full interview below.

Reti pointed to housing partnerships such as 300 homes planned in Porirua as an example of the MPP influencing wider portfolios through collaboration with ministers like Housing Minister Chris Bishop.

"We're always wanting across all of government to look at how we can be the most effective with the spend that we have and if we look at the outcomes for MPP, I'm very proud of what we do across a range of initiatives.

“I don't think anyone would contest that we should all look for efficient use of taxpayer funds and to have maximum impact with those funds.”