The Ministry for Pacific Peoples is the Crown’s principal advisor on policies and interventions aimed at improving outcomes for Pacific peoples in Aotearoa.
By using our extensive networks with Pacific communities across the country, as well as our knowledge and understanding of Pacific people, cultures and values, we influence public policy, programme and service decisions affecting Pacific Aotearoa.
Pacific values are our anchor, with each generation weaving the foundations for the next to stand on. Pacific communities are innovative leaders within Aotearoa, the Pacific region and the world.
Realising our vision is critical for Pacific peoples. It is an investment in New Zealand’s future well-being and prosperity.
Our work and the impact we are making will help us to enable and foster this vision.
Our mission of enriching Aotearoa with thriving, resilient and prosperous Pacific communities is brought to life through five key areas:
Through engagement with wider Pacific communities, four priority areas have been identified to achieve our vision.
Our current work programme priorities reflect these priorities outlined in The Ministry’s Pacific Aotearoa Lalanga Fou report, including:
Our strategic direction aims to generate opportunities for Pacific peoples in New Zealand to prosper.
Due to an increasing diversity of our Pacific peoples in New Zealand and the flexibility with which we must operate, no one-size-fits-all approach or strategy will realise success.
Our approach is about harnessing our relationships, knowledge and expertise – to better connect Pacific peoples and government.
By focusing our resources and interventions into areas that make the greatest difference and by working with others, using a partnership approach, and facilitating knowledge and expertise between groups, we can provide more value from the Government's investment.
The PERHL or the Policy, Evaluation, Research, Languages and Housing Unit provides high quality evidence-based advice, research, evaluation to inform and influence policy which improves the wellbeing of Pacific people in Aotearoa.
PERHL has a leading role in influencing the strategic direction of MPP through its direct support and advice to Tautua, our executive leadership team.
The PERHL Unit oversees the Strategic Policy, Operational Policy and Housing, Research and Evaluation, and Languages teams at the Ministry:
Our Regional Partnerships is our community connections team that engages and builds relationships with our Pacific community and partner organisations across Aotearoa.
The Regional Partnerships team captures what the community is thinking is saying and supports important Pacific stakeholder groups towards achieving Lalanga Fou goals from our Pacific churches, youth groups our LGBTQiA+, non-government organisations, women's groups, people with disabilities, community leaders and the arts, some of our priority groups.
The team shares information to our community stakeholders on key findings from our community insight activities, Pacific focused policies, and initiatives.
The government has committed to eliminating the gender pay gap within the public service and has made substantial progress so far. In 2018, public service agencies were asked to focus on the following actions and milestones:
The Ministry's February 2020 Gender Pay Gap Action Plan showed that the gender pay gap was favourable to women in most salary bands in 2018. Efforts to eliminate the small gender pay gap through reviewing salaries and more awareness of gender pay principles allowed MPP to close the pay gap between women and men, meeting its commitment to the government's pay gap elimination goals.
Analysis in 2020 showed no gender pay gap within the Ministry, with 71% of leadership roles at Tiers 2 and 3 held by Pacific/Māori women. At this time, there were 64 staff within the Ministry and included a highly diverse workforce, with representation from six Pacific Island nationalities and Māori.
Addressing the Gender Pay Principles has allowed MPP to set objectives to increase awareness of bias and discrimination. We have made great progress from 2018 through to 2020 in achieving these milestones.
Ministry for Pacific Peoples' Gender Pay Gap Action Plan
Ministry for Pacific Peoples Kia Toipoto Action Plan 2021-24
Te Kawa Mataaho | Public Service Commission Kia Toipoto Public Service Pay Gaps Action Plan 2021-24