He Aka Reo, He Herenga Tāngata

As Aotearoa New Zealand’s principal diplomatic agency, the New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade | Manatū Aorere represents the country across a global network of embassies and posts. The organisation recognised that authentic representation of Aotearoa requires deeper capability in te reo Māori, mātauranga Māori, and tikanga Māori.

However, its complex global structure, diverse workforce, and varied roles meant the strategy needed to:

• reflect the unique operating environment of a global ministry
• support senior leadership and organisational priorities
• be practical and meaningful for staff both in Aotearoa and at post
• provide a clear pathway for capability growth and accountability.

Working in collaboration was essential. Together, we developed a tailored strategy grounded in organisational insight and collaboration.
Our approach involved:

• designing a baseline capability tool to understand the organisation's starting point
• reviewing internal discussions, documents, and existing practices
• identifying priority areas for capability development
• a tailored baseline tool that could tell the 'story' of the organisation's current capability and be used to monitor future growth.

This collaborative process ensured the strategy reflected the culture, purpose, and structure of the New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade | Manatū Aorere.

The Māori language strategy, He Aka Reo, He Herenga Tāngata - "A language vine binds people together" was developed in collaboration with the organisation.

The strategy provides a clear direction for growing capability in te reo Māori and tikanga Māori to strengthen connections within Aotearoa while enabling staff to represent the country internationally with confidence, authenticity, and cultural integrity.
It also established a baseline and measurement framework to monitor progress and support ongoing organisational development.