Stats NZ invites expressions of interest to join a new Crown-Māori Statistical Design Forum. The Forum will provide an opportunity for iwi Māori to contribute directly to the design and planning of official statistics programmes, like the census.
Pae Kōrero Hoahoa Tauanga Karauna-Māori: Whakaaturanga Hiahia is also available.
On this page:
- Skills and experience
- Membership
- Secretariat support
- Remuneration
- Commitment
- Conflicts of interest and privacy
About the Forum
Stats NZ invites expressions of interest from iwi, Māori organisations, Māori data practitioners, and individuals with expertise in te ao Māori, Māori data governance, or kaupapa Māori research, to join the Crown-Māori Statistical Design Forum (the Forum).
The Forum will provide an opportunity for iwi Māori to contribute directly to the design and planning of official statistics programmes like the census, and key programmes that support its successful delivery. The Forum will also play an important role in ensuring iwi Māori perspectives are integral to Aotearoa New Zealand's statistical system.
Membership will include iwi Māori community and government agency representation. This supports the Forum's purpose, by creating a coordinated system-wide space where iwi Māori insights and aspirations can be incorporated across the broader statistical system. This collective approach helps ensure Māori perspectives shape solutions that are more trusted, relevant, and enduring, while enabling a more efficient system response to Māori data needs.
Establishment of the Forum is part of a broader initiative by Stats NZ to establish community design groups with a range of partners and groups, including iwi Māori, Pacific, disabled, ethnic, LGBTIQ+, and homeless and transient communities.
The opportunity
The Forum will create an enduring pathway for iwi Māori perspectives to directly shape statistical design, and enable Stats NZ to better deliver to customer and partner needs.
By influencing the data we collect and how it is used, the Forum will help ensure official statistics reflect what matters to iwi Māori communities and support growing trust in the data system.
Key programmes like the census are at a design stage where early input makes the greatest difference. Iwi Māori leaders have called for a step-change - moving beyond consultation toward meaningful contribution in design, trust in how data is used, and measures that reflect Māori aspirations. The Forum is a response to that call.
The Forum also supports Stats NZ to strengthen statutory obligations under the Data and Statistics Act 2022, respond to external reviews, and contribute to Treaty settlement commitments.
Role of the Forum
The Forum will complement existing iwi-Crown relationships and Treaty settlement commitments. The Forum's membership will bring together different regional insights, and a broad mix of expertise, knowledge, and experience. Collectively, the membership will include Māori data governance, statistical and data expertise, te ao Māori, tikanga, and iwi, hapū, and whānau perspectives.
The Forum will report regularly to Stats NZ's Investment Monitoring Committee, so that its advice guides investment and prioritisation decisions relating to the census and wider statistical design work.
Examples of the kinds of design questions the Forum may consider include:
- how iwi affiliation might best be collected and reported in the census
- whether classifications could be adapted to better reflect iwi and hapū realities
- how integrated data can be used safely and meaningfully to reflect iwi priorities
- how kaupapa, such as Te Kupenga (Stats NZ's Māori wellbeing survey), could be strengthened to better measure what matters to whānau.
Over time, the Forum is expected to play an enduring role in guiding wider statistical system design, ensuring iwi Māori perspectives are woven into decision-making from the outset.
Through its advice and insights, the Forum will help ensure kaupapa Māori realities are considered in how statistics tell the story of Aotearoa New Zealand.
While the Forum will be hosted by Stats NZ, its membership will include representation from across the public service (including, where relevant, the cross-government Māori Data Needs Working Group) alongside iwi Māori members. This will create a shared space where iwi Māori perspectives can contribute to system design questions that affect multiple agencies.
How to apply
People interested in becoming a member of the Forum are invited to submit an expression of interest by 5:00pm, Wednesday, 11 February 2026 to [email protected].
Your expression of interest should include:
- a cover letter (maximum two pages) explaining your interest, and the skills, knowledge, and experience you would bring to the Forum
- a curriculum vitae (maximum four pages)
- name and contact details for two referees.
We encourage you to highlight in your cover letter the skills and experience you bring.
Submissions are welcome in te reo Māori and in alternate formats.
Please email [email protected] if you would like to make your application in an alternate format.
Selection process and indicative timeline
All applications will be assessed against the published criteria , taking into account the balance of skills, knowledge, and perspectives needed across the Forum as a whole. Shortlisting will include referee checks.
Final appointments will be confirmed by the Chief Executive of Stats NZ, ensuring the Forum has both the right expertise and representation to carry out its role effectively.
- Expressions of Interest close: Wednesday 11 February 2026.
- Shortlisting and referee checks: February 2026.
- Final appointments confirmed: Early March 2026.
- Induction and first hui: March 2026.
Information for applicants
Skills and experience
The Forum will bring together a balance of expertise, lived experience, and regional perspectives, ensuring advice reflects Māori interest across different geographic regions and areas of expertise. Members are not expected to have all these skills individually but, collectively, the Forum will aim to cover the following areas.
Area |
Description |
Why it matters for the Forum |
Statistical and data expertise |
Knowledge of official statistics, survey design and development, research methods, and integrated data systems |
Strengthens technical input into, for example, the census, integrated data, and data quality matters, while also supporting clear interpretation and articulation of findings |
Māori data governance |
Experience in data governance, iwi registers, or iwi Māori-led data initiatives |
Provides leadership on how data should be governed, managed, and protected |
Regional and sector knowledge |
Insights from across rohe and sectors, such as health, education, environment, and economy |
Ensures advice reflects iwi Māori interests across domains and geography |
Iwi, hapū, and whānau perspectives |
Direct connection to iwi, hapū, and whānau communities |
Brings lived realities and maintains relevance to iwi Māori aspirations |
Te ao Māori and tikanga |
Deep knowledge of te ao Māori, tikanga, kawa, mātauranga Māori |
Ensures Forum advice is grounded in iwi Māori worldviews and practices |
Policy and system design |
Understanding of Crown policy processes and legislative settings |
Helps align Forum advice with government decision-making pathways |
Governance and leadership |
Prior board, advisory, or governance experience |
Supports strong group process, accountability, and high-quality collective advice |
Equity and inclusion |
Experience advancing equity for iwi Māori and other under-served groups |
Ensures statistical measures and design choices reflect Aotearoa New Zealand's diversity |
Partnership and collaboration |
Demonstrated ability to work across iwi, Crown, and community boundaries |
Builds trust and effective engagement in a partnership context |
Membership
Up to 15 members, including a Chair, will be appointed for an initial term of two or three years, with the option of being reappointed for up to two further two-year terms to support continuity of membership. The term length for each member will be confirmed through the appointment process.
At least two-thirds of the Forum will comprise iwi Māori community representatives, with the balance made up of public service representatives. Including government agency representatives as part of the Forum supports coordinated, system-wide alignment, and increasing efficiency and reducing duplication of work for iwi and Māori.
The chair will be confirmed by the Chief Executive of Stats NZ once membership has been appointed, with details of that process to be worked through with members at the time. This ensures the chair has both the endorsement of Forum members and the formal recognition required under the Cabinet Fees Framework.
Members will confirm the Forum's terms of reference with Stats NZ, ensuring shared ownership of how the Forum operates and clarity around its role, responsibilities, and ways of working.
Forum tikanga, values, and ways of working will be developed collectively by members, ensuring Māori expectations and practice guide how the Forum operates.
Secretariat support
The Forum will be supported by a secretariat within Stats NZ. Members will receive induction, training, and agenda packs to support their role.
Remuneration
Members will be remunerated in line with the Cabinet Fees Framework. Where members are already funded by Stats NZ in their roles, or by other government agencies, additional fees will not be paid. All members will have reasonable travel and accommodation costs reimbursed.
Commitment
The Forum is expected to meet regularly (up to 12 hui per year), using a mix of in-person and online hui. Hui will be grounded in tikanga Māori and mana-enhancing practice, ensuring deliberations reflect both technical and kaupapa Māori expertise.
Members should also allow for preparation time and occasional input between meetings.
Conflicts of interest and privacy
Applicants will be asked to disclose actual, potential, or perceived conflicts of interest. All information will be used only for assessment purposes and held securely by Stats NZ. You have the right to request access to, and correction of, your information.
