Continued commitment at MSD
Partnerships, themes and consultation
One of the themes for our 2022/23 action plan, which will continue this year, was to create partnerships between MSD’s Māori Partnerships and Programmes teams, Pacific Prosperity teams, employee-led networks, Māori kaimahi (employees) across MSD and key partners in each of the three focus areas.
By working in partnership, MSD has started to create systems and pathways of development that are inherently inclusive and designed with our people in mind − especially where a pay gap exists.
MSD commitment to te ao Māori
The starting point and initial mission for Te Pae Tata (MSD’s internal Māori Strategy and Action Plan) is to embed te ao Māori (a Māori world view) throughout the organisation. Some of our kaimahi are already knowledgeable in te ao Māori and capable of working with Māori in ways that are mana-enhancing. However, we should continue to ensure that all kaimahi have that same capability so whānau, hapū and iwi are confident they will receive the best possible services wherever or however they connect with MSD. This provided the foundation and guidance for addressing the Māori gender and ethnic pay gaps and setting the actions in a Māoridom context.
Over this year we have updated the cohort about the shared work programme with others across the Ministry, new initiatives and wellbeing, leadership, talent management and career development. We’ve also focussed on what’s happening for Māori across MSD and externally.
MSD has supported Toa, a new cohort for Māori kaimahi, which meets monthly. Toa is for Māori by Māori. It is a safe place for Māori kaimahi to share their voice and connect with each other, and a way of communicating important mahi. The cohort has 330 members and is continuously expanding. By working in partnership over the past year, we have achieved several practical and supportive outcomes. For example, we have:
- increased the number of Te Aratiatia (MSD’s leadership programme for Māori and Pacific people who aspire to become great leaders within their organisation and /or the wider public sector and provide service to our people, clients, and communities) emerging-leader programmes we deliver each year and provided better feedback options for those people yet to be accepted
- developed a community of practice for Te Aka Matua (this programme is a senior leadership programme for Māori and Pacific managers within the Ministry who show potential to lead and manage at a senior management level) that supports our current and past participants and their career development
- established a Te Ao Māori Dashboard that shows business groups participation and completion of our learning programmes, and making this available and transparent for all
- supported the growth of Māori employee-led networks.
We also developed a quarterly blog called ‘Whakanuia Te Ao Māori’. This was designed to hear about what our people are doing, discover what they think, celebrate their stories, share new ideas and provide easy access to our resources.
MSD commitment to Pacific Prosperity
Our Pacific strategy, ‘Pacific Prosperity’, aims to rejuvenate MSD’s delivery and engagement of services for Pacific peoples, families, and communities. We want them to be safe and to thrive and flourish in Aotearoa.
‘Pacific Prosperity’ is underpinned by the foundational principles of cultural acceptance, leadership, spirituality, family, integrity, love, excellence, and partnership. These principles, along with continued partnership with the Pacific and Community Capability Programmes team and Pacific peoples, continue to guide this action plan.
Through these commitments we see strong interconnections with ‘Papa Pounamu’ and ‘Kia Toipoto’ being woven through key organisational strategies such as ‘Te Pae Tata’, ‘Pacific Prosperity’, and ‘He Korowai Manaaki’ (our People Strategy) in continuing to drive positive outcomes for our people.
MSD’s People and Capability Group has also strived to uphold a strong partnership with the internal Pacific and Community Capability Programmes teams, to keep on uplifting the Pacific peoples at MSD and addressing the drivers for gender and ethnic pay gaps.
He Korowai Manaaki, MSD’s people strategy.
Figure 1. He Korowai Manaaki, MSD’s people strategy.
Our purpose
Manaaki tangata, manaaki whānau | We help New Zealanders to be safe, strong and independent
Te Pae Tawhiti
Mana Manaaki – A positive experience every time Kotahitanga – Partnering for greater impact Kia takutū tatou – Supporting long-term social and economic development
Te Pae Tata
Te Rautaki Māori me te Mahere Mahi | Our Māori Strategy and Action Plan
Pacific Prosperity
Our People, Our Solutions, Our Future, Our Pacific Strategy and Action Plan
Our People Strategy
Client and whānau-centred We design our work, roles and organisation to deliver for our clients and whānau
Capability-building We have the capability to perform to our potential now and in the future
Leading for performance Our leaders develop and nurture people and teams to deliver high levels of performance
Positive experience Our people have an experience at work that enables them to reach their potential, be included, safe and well.
Developing our 2023/24 plan
A small working group was set up to develop our 2023/24 action plan. The group met with leaders and action owners from our previous action plan to understand progress and the impact of various initiatives, and to assess where we might add further focus.
We engaged with our Diversity and Inclusion Steering Group, our People Experience Steering Group, our extensive employee-led networks (see Appendix 4 for the full list), and the Public Service Association (PSA).
We also conducted a series of nation-wide online drop in session available to MSD kaimahi from across the organisation as well as a session specifically for our Pacific kaimahi. We invited people to share their insights on what was working, what might need more focus, and the value of changes they had seen.
From these workshops, we gathered five key themes for areas where we could continue to take positive action:
Remuneration
Our people would like clarity regarding the process and reasons behind remuneration decisions made for new, existing and seconded kaimahi.
Theme questions: Are our remuneration decisions inclusive and free from all types of unconscious bias and is it visible to all?
Development and Mentoring
Our people are eager to develop their careers at MSD and would like transparency and access to developmental opportunities, mentoring, and other experience that recognise their current capabilities, and meets their future needs and career aspirations.
Theme questions: What can we offer that supports our kaimahi to achieve and succeed?
Inclusive Policies, Systems and Practices
Our people expect equitable remuneration outcomes through the consistent application of policies, systems and practices, and they are eager to see this commitment realised through comprehensive training and a better understanding of these elements are collectively addressed. This inclusivity applies to wider people practices, including recruitment, development and career.
Data and Analysis
Our people have expressed a strong desire for increased transparency regarding the data we regularly gather, particularly in relation to our gender and ethnic pay gaps.
Theme questions: What are the trends? Where are the gaps / opportunities? And how can we better understand the drivers of pay gaps?
Supporting our Kaimahi
Our people would like to see a more consistent and inclusive focus for all, including those not easily identifiable from our people data (e.g. rainbow, neurodivergence groups, etc), those with disabilities and all ethnic groups. By increasing engagement, support, visibility and clear information and communications, we can better involve everyone in decisions and interventions that reflect the different experience we all face in the workplace.
