IRD latest to move on Māori initiatives

Inland Revenue is the latest Government Agency to take the axe to Māori  initiatives with the PSA claiming that its kaupapa Māori research domain, Te Mana Rangahau, is it risk. Te Mana Rangahau was a kaupapa Māori research and evaluation team within New Zealand’s Inland Revenue (IRD) department, dedicated to incorporating Māori perspectives and voices into IRD’s decision-making processes through research guided by Māori principles and tikanga. However, as of September 2025, Inland Revenue was planning to disestablish the team and shift its work to a more general Customer Interventions group.

The team followed kaupapa Māori research principles to gather insights from whānau, hapū, and iwi.

“It’s regressive, short-sighted, and a gutting blow to the Māori-Crown relationship. A clear signal that Inland Revenue is turning its back on meaningful engagement with whānau Māori,” Public Service Association Te Pūkenga Here Tikanga Mahi acting Kaihautū Māori, Marcia Puru, says.

“Instead of following its own research to embed Tiriti based, values-driven change, it’s reverting to a transactional, compliance-heavy model that prioritises punitive debt collection over the holistic, intergenerational wellbeing of whānau Māori.

“This is not just a reshuffle, it’s a dismantling of kaupapa Māori leadership inside Inland Revenue,” Puru says.

“Te Mana Rangahau is part of a wider Kaupapa Māori ecosystem within Inland Revenue focused on supporting Māori aspirations and carrying Māori voices right into the heart of strategic decision-making. Scrapping the team sends a loud message that those voices don’t matter. Let’s be clear: this is a cultural rollback and the team feels disrespected and aggrieved.

“The years of hard work done gave Inland Revenue the tools to make better, fairer strategic decisions. Now they’re throwing that progress out the window clearly prioritising more Western-led approaches.”

More to come

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