Advisor, Kaupapa Māori
Hawke's Bay Regional Council
Te whakapakari tahi i tō tātau Taiao – Enhancing our environment together.
Our vision is a healthy environment and a resilient and prosperous community.
About The opportunity | Ko te āheinga:
We are looking for an Advisor, Kaupapa Māori to join our Tū Hono Rau – Community and Partnerships Group. This is a permanent, full-time opportunity based in Napier.
Tū Hono Rau – Community and Partnerships is the Council’s integrated function for communications, engagement, kaupapa Māori and Te Tiriti leadership. Its purpose is to strengthen Council’s relationships with tāngata whenua and the wider community, ensuring participation and partnership are embedded in all decisions, and uphold a visible and trusted presence.
Reporting to the Manager, Māori Partnerships, the Advisor, Kaupapa Māori plays a key role in supporting Council to embed kaupapa Māori, strengthen organisational cultural capability, and apply tikanga-informed thinking across decision-making, design, and change processes.
Working across a broad range of teams and initiatives, the role provides practical advice, guidance, and support to help staff understand and apply Council’s Māori engagement, mātauranga Māori, and Te Tiriti o Waitangi frameworks. This includes supporting teams during the early design, planning, and implementation stages of projects to ensure Māori perspectives, rights, interests, and potential impacts are appropriately identified, tested, and reflected.
The role will participate in technical advisory groups, project teams, and working groups, contributing Māori perspectives and helping teams translate organisational frameworks and guidance into practical actions and ways of working. A key focus of the role is building staff confidence and capability while providing proportionate advice that supports Council to meet its Te Tiriti o Waitangi obligations. The role also contributes to the delivery and maintenance of organisational tools, frameworks, resources, and guidance relating to kaupapa Māori, tikanga Māori, mātauranga Māori, and effective engagement with mana whenua.
This is an exciting opportunity to contribute to the integration of kaupapa Māori perspectives across Council's policies, programmes, strategies, and organisational initiatives.
About you | E pā ana ki a koe:
You will be a collaborative and culturally grounded professional with a strong understanding of kaupapa Māori, tikanga Māori, mātauranga Māori, and Te Tiriti o Waitangi. You will be confident providing practical advice and supporting teams to apply Māori engagement and mātauranga frameworks across projects and initiatives. You will bring sound judgement, strong analytical skills, and the ability to build trusted relationships at all levels of the organisation. Your practical, solutions-focused approach, adaptability, and strong interpersonal skills will support the growth of organisational cultural capability and help deliver meaningful outcomes for Māori and the wider community.
You will also have:
- A relevant Bachelor’s degree or equivalent tertiary qualification.
- Minimum of 3 years’ demonstrated success and experience in a similar role.
- Demonstrated competency in Te Reo Māori me ōna tikanga, including experience leading practices that are appropriate, accurate, and culturally grounded and informed.
- A valid driver's license
What we offer | Nga huanga mōu:
The salary range for this role is between $88,996 to $104,700 and will depend on the qualifications and experience of the successful candidate.
Other benefits of working for our team include:
- Flexible working options to support work/life balance
- 5 weeks annual leave after 3 years
- 4% superannuation after 3 years
- Life insurance and income protection
- Subsidised eye tests and lenses, flu vaccinations, and other well-being initiatives
- Strong commitment to developing and upskilling people within a supportive working environment.
See a full list of our staff benefits here
As an equal opportunity employer, we are dedicated to creating a welcoming and inclusive environment. We recognise that collaborative and innovative organisations depend on having a workforce made up from a diverse range of perspectives and experiences. We're all about excellence, and we encourage open communication – if you need any specific support, just let us know! Our main goal is to empower each person to share their unique talents to contribute to the outcomes for our community. This commitment ensures that our workplace is a dynamic and progressive space where everyone can flourish.
HBRC is responsible for Civil Defence emergencies and as such, all staff may be called upon to support the response.
How to apply | I pēhea ki te whakauru:
Applications close Thursday, 27 August 2026, however we will be shortlisting and interviewing appropriate candidates as applications are received. If you are interested in this position, please do not wait to apply as we may close the ad earlier than advertised.
Applicants must have existing rights to work in New Zealand.
To view the job description please click here.
If you would like any further information regarding the role, please email hr@hbrc.govt.nz
About us | E pā ki a mātou:
At Hawke’s Bay Regional Council our purpose is to work with our community to protect and manage the region’s precious taonga of rivers, lakes, soils, air, coast and biodiversity for health, wellbeing and connectivity. Our organisation is diverse and our work is varied. Our structure comprises of six key business units; Corporate Services, Integrated Catchment Management, Asset Management, Māori Partnerships, Policy & Regulation, and the Executive Advisory Group which also consists of the Civil Defence and Emergency Management.
We focus on prioritising:
Te kounga o te wai, te haumarutanga me te mārohirohi ā-āhuarangi o te whakamarutanga | Water quality, safety and climate-resilient security.
Kia koi, kia toitū hoki te whakamahinga o te whenua | Climate-smart and sustainable land use.
Kia ora, kia āhei, kia mārohirohi ā-āhuarangi hoki te rerenga rauropi | Healthy, functioning and climate-resilient biodiversity.
Kia toitū, kia mārohirohi ā-āhuarangi hoki ngā ratonga me ngā hanganga ā-whare | Sustainable and climate-resilient services and infrastructure.
