HRD talks to the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment about their successful internship program
Public policy roles area crucial part of government structure.
After all, these employees provide economic and social advice to Ministers about issues which impact the entire country.
Therefore, it’s important that these roles embrace a diverse range of talent to reflect the wide variety of voices and values across New Zealand.
Despite encompassing eight percent of the public sector workforce, Pacific employees were extremely under-represented in public policy roles in 2015, totalling just one percent of the overall policy workforce.
To address this disparity, the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) established the Tupu Tai public sector internship.
Implemented in partnership with 21 public sector agencies, the programme is a 11-week summer internship to Pasifika tertiary students and recent graduates considering a policy career in the public sector.
After beginning with one policy intern placement within MBIE in 2015, the programme has been growing each year and in the 2019/20 summer there were 41 intern placements spread across 21 public sector agencies.
Incorporating mentoring, workshops and networking opportunities, the programme strives to build and support the confidence and capability of Pasifika tertiary students.
Leilani Tamu, Manager Pacific Policy told HRD that she is particularly proud of the way in which the programme has gone from strength to strength, helping to contribute to life-changing opportunities for Pasifika tertiary students.
“The programme has ensured Pasifika peoples are well represented in policy roles across government,” said Tamu.
In order to excel in delivering for young people, Tamu advises organisations to develop internship programmes that “prioritise inclusion and diverse world views and values”.
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Tamu said organisations and HR leaders need to “hold themselves to account to ensure they build safe and inclusive workplaces, follow through with commitment and listen to the voices of our young people“.
She added that the initiative is as much about focusing on cultural capacity and diversity of thinking, as it is about supporting more representative teams across the public sector.
Indeed, the programme also involves retreat-based leadership development focused on building resilience, connection and support.
It has already been supported by leaders across the public service, and is actively sponsored by MBIE chief executive Carolyn Tremain.
Tremain told HRD that the MBIE are committed to “meeting the goals and aspirations of a Public Service that will be unified, reflective of, and responsive to our communities”.
“We do this not only to ensure we are truly growing a future for Aotearoa New Zealand that is good for all our communities, but also so that the people in our Ministry can come to work every day feeling valued, respected, and safe.”
In fact, the results have showed that out of the more than 100 active alumni, 25% are now working fulltime in public sector policy roles.
Moreover, in 2014 Pacific people made up 0.9 percent of policy workers aged younger than 24. In 2019, the number jumped to 8.2 percent.
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“We are incredible proud to be the home of the Tupu Tai internship programme and it shows that we are on the right path to increasing diversity in the public sector,” said Tremain.
“We know there is still significant work to be done, and we look forward to continuing on this journey, removing barriers and building strong foundations that support all our people now and into the future.”
In the 2019/20 evaluation survey for agencies, 92% of respondents rated the Tupu Tai programme as good or very good and recommended it to other agencies. It also achieved the Supreme Award at the 2020 Diversity Awards NZ.
