Matrix > Toolkit: Organisational Culture and Capability > Māori and Pasifika Voice
Māori and Pasifika Voice
Employers must involve Māori and Pasifika staff in setting the direction of DEI.
Contents
Create roles and platforms to channel the voice of Māori and Pasifika employees in reviewing and setting the culture, policy and processes of the organisation
How this could work: Courageous conversations with Māori and Pasifika staff about their experiences of barriers to progression, including issues of bias and structural racism, can help build a robust plan for ensuring Māori and Pasifika are actively involved in the development of the organisation’s equity plans and their implementation.
This results in: Appropriate targets and processes adopted and implemented within the organisation.
On top of other GEM targets, these could look like:
Māori and Pasifika staff being invited to develop and lead the implementation of policies and initiatives that affect them across the organisation, with appropriate acknowledgement and compensation.
However, note that Māori and Pasifika staff should not be:
Pushed into these roles through expectations or assumptions.
Expected or assumed to want to lead in areas that are not their specific job.
Expected to do this kind of work without compensation. Many of those leading Pasifika or Māori DEI are doing so without compensation – their work should be recognised and paid for.
Participation of non-Māori and non-Pasifika leadership and staff is crucial for lifting cultural burdens and embedding organisation-wide change.
Read the Kia Toipoto case studies, including the DIA and StatsNZ consultations and platforming of Pasifika staff recommendations, including creating an inhouse Pasifika career broker.