Measuring performance and effectiveness for Mäori ... - Te Puni Kokiri

PART 5: KEY IMPLEMENTATION ISSUES FOR
MEASURING PERFORMANCE FOR MÄORI
5.1 GOOD QUALITY DATA AND
ROBUST DATA ANALYSIS
The availability of reliable data will be a
key challenge for agencies in carrying out
performance measurement by ethnicity (Durie
et al, 2012; Ringold, 2005).
Ethnicity data
The fluid nature of ethnicity poses one of the
main challenges. People in New Zealand, as
in other countries, may change the ways in
which they identify themselves over time, or
they may identify themselves differently in
different environments, such as at work and at
home (Statistics New Zealand, 2005).
Ethnicity data is based on self-identification,
but that self-identification, for a variety of
reasons, is not always possible. When selfidentification
is not possible, proxy responses
are often collected. This creates inaccuracies
because in these cases the individual has
their ethnicity identified by a third party
on their behalf, based on the third party’s
perception of the individual’s ethnic identity.
Nonetheless, agencies are expected to comply
with Statistics New Zealand’s classification
standards on ethnicity.
Kukutai (2004) suggests agencies ought
to be more forthcoming on how Mäori is
defined, and the assumptions about why and
how it is deployed. There are guidelines for
the state sector on how to use the non-
Mäori group in ethnicity statistics (Statistics
New Zealand, 2005).
Many mainstream services would benefit from
Mäori-inclusive evaluations (Thomas, 2002),
which would provide information that informs
improvement. There would also be benefit
in agencies sharing data sets and the results
of evaluations to build an evidence base
about progress towards desired longer term
outcomes (State Services Commission, 2011b).
5.2 ORGANISATIONS NEED THE
RIGHT CAPABILITY
In order to maintain ethnicity data quality,
agencies need the right leadership, and technical
and policy expertise to drive demand for it.
Leadership
When agencies set ethnicity targets they
need to be supported by a champion at senior
management level (The Treasury, 2004, 2006).
Mäori under-represented in key
public sector roles
One of the main themes that emerges from
the literature is the under-representation of
Mäori in the public service in many influential
roles: chief executive; senior management;
middle management; policy; professional; and
technical roles (State Services Commission,
2003a, 2010a, 2010c, 2011c; Human Rights
Commission, 2011a). A number of sources note
that diversity is important for effectiveness
of public services (OECD, 2009 discussed in
State Services Commission, 2010c, and Human
Rights Commission (2011a, p.32).
Durie (2004, p.6) suggests that: “Increasing
the level of direct involvement of Mäori in
the State is important and can be justified
on several grounds but unless the effort
leads to demonstrable benefits for Mäori the
exercise becomes one of primarily creating
equal employment opportunities rather than
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