In 2018, the He Ara Waoira Framework was developed by Māori thought leaders to complement the New Zealand Treasury’s Living Standards Framework and to integrate different Indigenous cultural perspectives and knowledge systems into well-being evidence and analysis, with the goal of improving living standards for all New Zealanders across a range of policy issues.
New Zealand’s He Ara Waiora Framework
Abstract
The He Ara Waiora framework was created in 2018 to complement the New Zealand Treasury’s Living Standards Framework (LSF) – see our dedicated case study for more information –, a conceptual tool established since 2011 to support improvements in the quality of the Treasury’s advice to policy makers. This complementary framework was developed with the participation of Ngā Pūkenga, an expert group of Māori thought leaders, to better integrate Māori perspectives on well-being and living standards considered by the Treasury. The He Ara Waiora Framework was first developed with the Tax Working Group associated with the Treasury to integrate Māori perspective in a more future-focused tax system. The New Zealand Treasury now applies both the Living Standards Framework and He Ara Waiora Framework to explore well-being from different cultural perspectives.
The He Ara Waiora Framework complements the LSF by integrating Māori perspectives into well-being and living standards conceptualisations, and presents a holistic, intergenerational approach to well-being, articulating both the Ends (the important elements in Māori perceptions of well-being and living standards), and the Means (the tikanga values or principles that help achieve the ends). He Ara Waiora contains six quality of life determinants that are the ‘Ends’, describing the outcomes to be pursued and fostered through policy design and implementation. In the Framework, these Ends are seen to have intrinsic value, and all of them are necessary for individuals and communities to experience a ‘good life’. The Ends are seen as being both interdependent and cumulative in nature, and encompass:
Wairua: seen as the foundational source of wellbeing. This can be understood as people feeling connected to something beyond themselves, which for many will be a form of spirituality.
Taiao: the natural world in He Ara Waiora, that exists independently of human reliance on environmental goods
Ira Tangata is the human domain and is seen to have four determinants, which subsist at the level of both the individual (he tangata) and the community (he kāinga)
Mana Tuku Iho – a cohesive identity that connects people to their ancestral inheritance (such as through language, culture, and genealogy) in a way that enables resilience and meaning throughout life
Mana Tauutuutu – having a sense of belonging within a community that involves reciprocal relationships of being valued and feeling a sense of responsibility
Mana Āheinga – knowing what you value in life (such aspirations and hope) and the ability to forge capabilities to realise a ‘life that is valued’, and
Mana Whanake – resources being available or accessible that are sufficient for individuals to realise aspirations, make choices over identity, and act intentionally within communities
The He Ara Waiora Framework also contains five principles to guide governmental processes and behaviour (e.g. the ‘Means’):
Manaakitanga - while often interpreted as meaning hospitality, in this context, manaakitanga is crucial for government to deeply understand the lived realities of those affected by the policy issue being addressed.
Kotahitanga is a principle of unity, emphasising the importance of a “joined-up” approach across government.
Whanaungatanga in government settings is an ethic of relationship-building, recognising there is a pre-existing ecosystem of interested parties – many of whom could valuably enhance policy development and its implementation.
Tiakitanga emphasises the importance of stewarding cohesion across the whole system and encourages careful consideration of the distribution of inter-generational benefits and burdens arising from any policy matter.
In August 2024, the Treasury published the He Ara Waiora Handbook to increase the policy impact of the Framework by supporting policy makers in their application of both the Ends and Means of the Framework to their work. It includes step-by-step guides and templates and an introduction to the concepts featured in the Framework. The handbook was developed in collaboration between Ngā Pūkenga and Treasury staff, with input from policy staff of other government agencies.
The He Ara Waiora Framework is being applied alongside the LSF to understand the drivers of well-being and to consider the broader impacts of the Treasury’s advice to policy makers in a systematic and evidence-based way. It helps inform the Treasury’s analysis of policy impacts across different well-being dimensions, as well as the long-term and distributional implications of policies. The development of the Handbook provides practical guidance to ensure the stronger integration of the outcomes and principles embodied in the Framework in policy analysis and decision-making.
New Zealand Treasury (2024), He Ara Waiora handbook, https://www.treasury.govt.nz/publications/guide/he-ara-waiora-handbook.
New Zealand Treasury (2023), “He Ara Waiora”, https://www.treasury.govt.nz/information-and-services/nz-economy/higher-living-standards/he-ara-waiora.
New Zealand Treasury (2023), “Using the LSF and He Ara Waiora”, https://www.treasury.govt.nz/information-and-services/nz-economy/higher-living-standards/using-lsf-and-he-ara-waiora.
New Zealand Treasury (2022), “Our Living Standards Framework”, https://www.treasury.govt.nz/information-and-services/nz-economy/higher-living-standards/our-living-standards-framework.
New Zealand Treasury (2022), Te Tai Waiora: Wellbeing in Aotearoa New Zealand 2022, https://www.treasury.govt.nz/publications/wellbeing-report/te-tai-waiora-2022.
OECD, How’s Life in your country? Country note: New Zealand, https://www.oecd.org/en/publications/how-s-life-2024-country-notes_2603b12c-en/new-zealand_ba427d21-en.html.
OECD (2023), Economic Policy Making to Pursue Economic Welfare: OECD Report for the G7 Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors, May 2023, Japan, OECD, Paris, https://www.oecd.org/en/publications/economic-policy-making-to-pursue-economic-welfare_ccc5634c-en.html.
OECD (2019), “Well-being: performance, measurement and policy innovations”, in OECD Economic Surveys: New Zealand 2019, OECD Publishing, Paris, https://doi.org/10.1787/b0b94dbd-en.
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