Ngā Pou Mana – Strategy Review

Te Whakarāpopototanga | Summary

Our overall sense of your Strategic Plan

Your Ngā Pou Mana Strategic Plan 2025–2030 provides a confident steer for your direction ahead. It gives Ngā Pou Mana a clear identity as an independent kaupapa Māori peak body, with three well-chosen Pou, and an honest risk read.

Our verdict is that this strategy is ready to proceed to the next stages: the mandate, direction and constituency are all in place. The strategy work can now move to strengthening its detail.

The main opportunities ahead for the board relate to the measurement and delivery layer (including SMART end-goals, KPIs, ownership, review rhythm, sequencing) and deepening the 'te ao Māori framing' into a working conceptual framework. This was an area that the organisation itself has identified in our scoping kōrero so far.

Ngā Whakaritenga | Readiness

Verdict of eight pre-conditions for setting strategy

Before we analyse the actual components of your strategy, we first check whether the organisation has the appropriate pre-conditions to set and own a strategy that can then be progressed. Eight whakaaro help to give us an answer.

Ready to proceedthe verdict rests on the eight pou below

Is there a clear mandate?

Present

The board is holding the pen on the strategy, and the NPM members ratify at Hui-ā-Tau.

Is it clear who you serve?

Present

Tangata Whenua allied health professionals, members, and whānau are named consistently.

Are you the right people to set the strategy?

Present

Yes. The board leads the work in partnership with the CEO, the NPM members ratify, and the sector mandate as peak body is clearly evident in the plan.

Are the governance foundations in place?

Present

No instability is visible and the board has sound foundations to proceed.

What is the philosophical starting point?

Present

The strategy references tino rangatiratanga, Te Tiriti, He Whakaputanga and Tika-Pono-Aroha. These reflect a Kaupapa Māori whakaaro and a five-year strategic horizon.

Is this a refresh or fresh start?

Partial

It is a strategy refresh. The plan builds on the 2019–2024 strategy. It is not evident at this stage how well the previous plan was achieved and what lessons and components to carry forward.

Does it work back from a vision, or work forward from the current day?

Partial

It is framed from vision-back. The 2030 picture leads; the current roadmap is not clear because the plan doesn't say where NPM is starting from today.

Is there a strategy framework to build on?

Partial

There exists a 'Mātāpono → Pou → Strategies → Indicators' structure; some sense of a Māori conceptual framework; measurement layer not evident.

Facilitator kōrero

Ngā Pou Mana is positioned to set and own its strategy, with this initial version being a strong starting point. The pre-conditions exist and the strategy draft itself has already moved through a structured pathway – circulated by pānui, tested in two online hui and regional wānanga, and includes a ratification step. There are noted opportunities to now turn it into a board-ready strategic plan.

Te Poutama Rautaki | Completeness (12 steps)

Assessing 12 sequential steps of your strategy

Te Whare Hukahuka considers strategy through the lens of a Strategic Planning Poutama, with 12 steps.

Assessing your current strategy against the 12 steps, it demonstrates that the directional steps are fairly strong; but the delivery steps need to be tightened further. Several steps would be suitable content for a board workshop.

How to read the Poutama: The 12 steps sit in order and take the shape of a poutama – this reflects that they are sequential. Together they signal what a complete Strategic Plan will convey.

clear strengthneeds attentionnot yet visible

1Clear Direction

A 2030 picture of success (Tiro Whakamua ki te 2030), a kaupapa statement ("Akiaki te mana o te tangata"), and an objective statement for each Pou.

A clear direction is the plan's clearest strength.

2Current Position

No current resource stocktake, BAU-versus-discretionary activity split, no strategic partner map, no summary of previous progress made.

This is the largest quiet gap: the plan says where NPM is going without saying where it is currently moving from.

3Challenges

Strategic barriers are not clearly outlined for the organisation or for each Strategic Pou.

Four risks and mitigations are set out.

Determining and articulating the strategic barriers helps to confirm what the strategy is aiming to overcome.

4Strategic Pou

Three Pou are well chosen and clearly labelled to drive success of the organisation.

Each Pou states the change it seeks to make for NPM members, Māori allied health workforce, and whānau.

The benefit the organisation is seeking to provide, to whom, and to what extent, is only partly communicated within each Pou.

There is no clear 'rationale' described for each Strategic Pou to explain why it matters most or is of greatest strategic importance.

5Initiatives

Twelve strategies are named across the three Strategic Pou.

None carries a problem statement or a stated reason for selection over alternatives.

It is not evident that there is a ‘Decision-Making Framework’ or process that initiatives were analysed or compared through.

6Competencies

Strengthening capability is noted as a goal under each Pou (e.g. governance, leadership, cultural capability, research).

The particular organisational competencies that are needed to effectively deliver each Pou are not yet articulated.

7Economic Model – This is an area for potential TWH support.

The economic model and key resourcing opportunities are not set out.

The plan has one sentence around "innovative funding models and diversified income streams" that could be fleshed out further.

8Innovation – This is an area for potential TWH support.

NPM is clearly innovative.

The general references to innovation in the plan could be specified more concretely.

9Ownership

Some general references to partnerships are made, which is a positive sign, but doesn't articulate the type of partnerships in place or that are needed for each Pou.

There is no owner named for any Pou or initiative, and resources are not mapped to key strategies.

10Success Measures

Each Pou has Tohu Angitū, which is a genuine start.

No strategy has SMART goals (Specific, Measurable, Timebound), and there is no KPI layer yet that the board can monitor.

11Enabling Strategies

Some internal strategies are referred to in 'Strategies' across the three Pou which could be fleshed out into their own deeper strategies. This will likely sit in the board–CEO delegation layer beneath this plan

12Implementation

The risk table is a start.

The initiative sequencing, timelines, budgets and reporting cadence are not yet visible.

Te Rere o te Rautaki | Coherence (18 factors)

A review of the story and flow of your strategy

This reflects the directional story and flow of the strategy – especially any gaps, contradictions, dead ends or areas that do not link cohesively.

Overall your strategy holds together well – the identity, Pou and strategies reinforce each other. The opportunities to improve the coherence are around its specificity and translating your board's direction into delivery.

A suitable strategic layering structures the plan

Clear identification of who the organisation serves

Vision and mission are aligned

Stated priorities match the activities described

Activities are directed at the core stakeholders served

Priorities focus on high-impact areas

Agreement on priorities is evident

The plan reflects strategic rather than operational level thinking

Goals are focused and manageable in number

The board is clearly open to innovative approaches

The plan avoids legacy and sunk-cost thinking

Goals are specific and actionable. The strategies each begin with verbs (e.g. Strengthen, Explore, Enhance, Support); but none says how much, or by when.

Goals express end outcomes rather than the means. Some Tohu Angitū are reflecting true end-states ("sustainable and independent financial systems"); but others describe the activity (the means).

Goals are realistic given current capacity. This is not easily assessable because NPM's capacity and resources are not stated. This could best be addressed in the 'Current Position' section.

Monitoring and review process. The one process section ("Whai Wāhi a te Mema") describes finalising the plan – pānui, two online hui, regional wānanga, ratification at Hui ā Tau 2025. There is not yet a clear statement that describes how or when the strategy will be reviewed later on.

Strategy addresses the challenges it identifies. The four noted risks each have a mitigation line that links broadly to a strategy, but it is not clear what the key strategic challenges are that the strategy needs to overcome to be successful.

Ownership of each initiative. This could list which projects NPM will itself lead, who will own them, and the role that partners will play in their success.

Implementation rhythm. This might be found in a separate document that we can't see, but from the current document it is unclear how things will be managed or implemented.

Ngā Āhuatanga o te Angitū | Determinants of success (six tests)

Assessing your strategy against six factors of kaupapa Māori

This section assesses the extent to which your Strategic Plan creates the conditions for six kaupapa Māori determinants of success to emerge.

These six determinants are drawn from Pakake Winiata’s 'model for success' (set out in his Master of Mātauranga Māori thesis) - and were found to be present in successful kaupapa Māori such as Whakatupuranga Rua Mano, Te Māori, Te Aurere waka hourua, Waka 1990 Celebrations and Te Wānanga o Raukawa. The model for success predicts that kaupapa Māori with these six determinants present will be successful. We have assessed your Strategic Plan against these six determinants of success.

1. Every section of the iwi are involved in the kaupapa.

The strategy positions itself as a member-centred organisation. It proposes significant consultation. It aims to strengthen partnerships across iwi, tertiary institutions and professional bodies.
However, there is little evidence that different sections of the NPM membership (rangatahi, experienced clinicians, kaumātua, different professions, regions etc.) have ongoing roles in shaping or delivering the strategy beyond consultation.

2. Rangatahi are involved and strengthened.

This is one of the strongest aspects of the NPM strategy. Rangatahi leadership pathways, mentorship, tuakana–teina programmes and visibility of emerging Māori allied health leaders are explicit strategic priorities with associated success indicators. Beyond simply engaging rangatahi, the Strategic Plan seeks to intentionally grow future leadership.

3. Māori knowledge is actively restored and strengthened.

This is strong. An entire Strategic Pou is devoted to Māori knowledge, including research, bilingual resources, cultural capability, rongoā, scholarships and policy influence. Rather than merely preserving knowledge, the strategy seeks to actively generate new mātauranga and strengthen its application within allied health.

4. The kaupapa is spiritually uplifting.

The NPM strategy is clearly values-based and grounded in Te Tiriti, He Whakaputanga, Tika, Pono and Aroha. It speaks strongly about identity, mana and tino rangatiratanga. However, it says relatively little about intentionally cultivating the spiritual wellbeing of members, whānau or the organisation itself. Wairua feels like an implicit foundation rather than an explicit strategic outcome.

5. The leaders are determined to make the kaupapa succeed.

Leadership is highly visible throughout the strategy. Governance capability, succession planning, advocacy, board development, transparent decision-making and Indigenous leadership are recurring themes. There is strong evidence of committed leadership, although accountability mechanisms for leaders could be strengthened further.

6. There is external support and sponsorship.

The strategy recognises that long-term success depends on strong partnerships, diversified funding, collaboration and financial independence. Risks around funding continuity are acknowledged alongside mitigation strategies. While the emphasis is on independence rather than sponsorship alone, the underlying determinant is well addressed.

Overall, your Strategic Plan 2025–2030 demonstrates strong alignment with 4 of the 6 determinants of successful kaupapa Māori. The two areas with the greatest opportunity to improve are around community involvement (determinant 1) and the kaupapa being spiritually uplifting (determinant 4). Improving these are less about adding initiatives and more about strengthening the philosophy of the strategy.

Te Whakatakotoranga | Layout (6 factors)

Checking six particular aspects that improve its structure and quality

Culturally grounded presentation. Bilingual headings, mātāpono, Te Tiriti and He Whakaputanga anchoring.

Consistent structure across the three Pou. Objective, strategies, Tohu Angitū, set out in the same order each time.

Layout is clear and readable. The structure reads well, but has some unrendered formatting marks (double asterisks) through the mātāpono and Pou sections.

Historical and organisational context provided. There is only one line about the 2019–2024 Plan; the story of what the organisation has built is not yet evident.

SWOT or situational analysis. This is largely missing – no strengths, opportunities or environmental assessment. The risk table gives just a partial slice.

Stakeholder analysis or environmental scan is missing. The voice of stakeholders is not clearly evident.

Kaupapa Māori conceptual framework

The Strategic Plan is grounded in kaupapa Māori, and this is more than just decorative. The board is making tino rangatiratanga a live decision rule ( "accepting only kaupapa-aligned projects"). The three Pou are given Māori headings. A full Pou (Te Pou Mana Māori) is dedicated to mātauranga, rongoā and reo, making Māori knowledge a strategic priority in its own right.

The conceptual layer could be strengthened – including a whakapapa for the three Pou, whakataukī or pūrākau anchoring each, and an overall Karakia Rautaki. These would make the overall framework itself Māori rather than having a standard strategy with Māori headings. The board has already suggested this as an area to deepen the strategy already. This is a clear opportunity for a board rautaki workshop.

Kupu Tohutohu | Recommendations

Providing our top recommendations to improve your strategy

Based on everything we assessed, below are our top recommendations to strengthen your Strategic Plan.

Measurement clarity

For each Pou, have 1-3 SMART end-goals. Translate the current Success Indicators into actual board-ready KPIs that the board can monitor.

To get this startedAs a next step, take the strongest indicator per Pou and write a measurable target for it (for example, "X by December 2027"), then agree how the board wants to see the reporting against this.

Pou ownership

For each Pou (or possibly each Initiative), name an owner (generally the CEO, or a board committee or partner org). Note what they are responsible for doing, for reporting, and the delegated authority they have.

To get this startedAt your next board hui agree the above details, or ask your CEO to draft this and present their recommendation.

Review rhythm

The board should set a regular cycle for reviewing progress against the plan as well as whether the plan is still a fair navigational tool. This will help ensure the strategy stays a living tool after ratification and in being tracked against. Review should be at least six-monthly.

A practical approachEmbed a standing strategy item into the board's meeting agenda every six months, with a short update per Pou from each owner.

Confirm the current position (including lessons from previous strategy)

The board should undertake or commission a short review of the 2019–2024 Strategic Plan to identify what was achieved; what should carry through into the new strategy; what things blocked progress; and what work the organisation ended up doing that never actually appeared in the strategy document. This can then become part of a current position stocktake of where the organisation is at today – so that the 2030 goals have a stated starting point.

To get this startedHave the CEO undertake this and distribute it as pre-reading before the board's rautaki workshop. Have one page answering the four questions, and one page covering the organisation's current resources and partners.

Kaupapa Māori framing into a framework

The board should explore and decide how kaupapa Māori concepts and mātauranga can be imbued into the strategy – e.g. through whakataukī, pūrākau, or Karakia Rautaki. This will ensure your strategy truly carries a wairua Māori rather than just be 'Māori-labelled'.

One way to beginHold a dedicated wānanga around to the question "what tūpuna kōrero or whare wānanga lessons connect to each Pou?". Our Pou Amorangi of Te Whare Hukahuka could also lead the board through a Karakia Rautaki process to imbue your strategy with tapu and mana.

Ngā Pou ManaStrategic Plan 2025–2030

Te Whakarāpopototanga | Summary

Ngā Whakaritenga | Readiness

Facilitator kōrero

Te Poutama Rautaki | Completeness (12 steps)

Te Rere o te Rautaki | Coherence (18 factors)

Ngā Āhuatanga o te Angitū | Determinants of success (six tests)

Te Whakatakotoranga | Layout (6 factors)

Kaupapa Māori conceptual framework

Kupu Tohutohu | Recommendations

Measurement clarity

Pou ownership

Review rhythm

Confirm the current position (including lessons from previous strategy)

Kaupapa Māori framing into a framework

NGĀ PĀTAI | Questions

Ngā Pou Mana
Strategic Plan 2025–2030