Minister for Māori Crown Relations

The Minister for Māori Crown Relations is a minister in the New Zealand Government responsible for overseeing Te Arawhiti, the Office of Māori Crown Relations.

Minister for Māori Crown Relations
Coat of arms of New Zealand
Incumbent Tama Potaka since 27 November 2023
Ministry of Justice
Style	The Honourable
Member of	Cabinet of New Zealand Executive Council
Reports to	Prime Minister of New Zealand
Appointer	Governor-General of New Zealand
Term length	At His Majesty's pleasure
Formation	2017
First holder	Kelvin Davis
Salary	$288,900[1]
Website

Role and responsibilities

The role was created in October 2017, following the 2017 New Zealand election and the formation of the Sixth Labour Government. Its first occupant was Te Tai Tokerau MP Kelvin Davis; Davis had initially expected to be appointed Treaty Negotiations minister, but his Ngāpuhi heritage proved to much of a conflict of interest, due to Ngāpuhi and the Crown's ongoing efforts to broker a Treaty settlement.^[2]

The portfolio differs from the similar Treaty of Waitangi Negotiations portfolio, which is responsible for brokering Treaty settlements between Iwi and the Crown, and is instead responsible for ensuring the that Government honors its settlement commitments with Māori.^[2] The minister is also responsible for coordinating significant Māori/Crown events, ensuring engagement between the government and Māori is meaningful, and providing ministerial oversight of Te Arawhiti, the Office of Māori Crown Relations.^[3] During the Sixth Labour Government, the holder of the portfolio chaired the Cabinet Māori Crown Relations: Te Arawhiti Committee.^[4]

List of ministers

Key

  Labour   National

No.		Name	Portrait	Term of office		Prime Minister
	1	Kelvin Davis		26 October 2017	27 November 2023		Ardern
							Hipkins
	2	Tama Potaka		27 November 2023	present		Luxon

References

1. "Parliamentary Salaries and Allowances Determination" (PDF). parliament.nz. 2016. Retrieved 30 March 2023.
2. Moir, Jo (2 November 2017). "Kelvin Davis too 'conflicted' by Ngāpuhi ancestry to be Minister of Treaty Negotiations". Stuff. Retrieved 9 January 2023.
3. "Māori Crown Relations: Te Arawhiti | Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet". DPMC. 14 October 2020. Retrieved 9 January 2023.
4. "(MCR) Cabinet Māori Crown Relations: Te Arawhiti Committee". Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet. Archived from the original on 8 June 2023.