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Working With Maori Organisations. Ten Insights. Am I qualified to talk about this?. Te Arawa Experience Ngai Tahu Experience Ngati Porou experience Kahungunu Experience Ngati Awa Experience Pan-Maori Experience Overseas experience. Insight No. 1.
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Working With Maori Organisations Ten Insights
Am I qualified to talk about this? • Te Arawa Experience • Ngai Tahu Experience • Ngati Porou experience • Kahungunu Experience • Ngati Awa Experience • Pan-Maori Experience • Overseas experience
Insight No. 1 • No such thing as a “Normal” Maori Organisation. • The size, type and purpose of our organisations is as diverse as non-Maori organisations • The needs are equally as diverse. • One size does not fit all.
Insight No. 2 • All our organisations are under increased pressure from their stakeholders: • Funders seeking higher levels of compliance; • Increased pressure to mainstream Maori organisations; • Higher levels of accountability sought from Iwi members and beneficiaries; • Increased public and political scrutiny • Not necessarily playing on a level field
Insight No. 3 • Many of the people in our organisations at both Governance and Management levels have an “aversion” to Accounting and Financial management: • Prefer to leave it to their accountants; • Do not have a clear understanding of the accounting role – often defaulting key financial management functions to their accountants; • Often deterred by the jargon, numbers and perceived complexity
Insight No. 4 • Many of our organisations see the numbers in isolation. • No connection to the plans; • Unable to read the story behind the numbers; • Unable to ask the right questions; • Unable to know what the right answers should be! • Unable to make properly informed decisions
Insight No. 5 • Heavily reliant on Cash Accounting • The perils of only looking at bank balances and cash transactions • Impact on management decisions • What a difference a “payment in advance” makes; • What our treasurers, managers and Governors need to know;
Insight No. 6 • Minimal Tax planning and structuring. • Structures have been developed in response to funding requirements • Lack of knowledge about tax efficient structures e.g. LAQC, Family Trusts vs. Whanau Trusts • Confusion over Charitable tax status; • Structures often outdated and not fit for purpose; • Need to optimise tax efficiency, asset protection and operational performance
Insight No. 7 • Strategic Planning vs. Business Planning • Understanding the difference • Business Planning without strategic planning • Do the numbers tell the same story • Planning is not just for compliance. • If you don’t have a plan whose plan are you on?
Insight No. 8 • Yes Tikanga, Kawa and Maori values do have a place in business. • Represent the Hull of our waka – must be strong to keep us afloat during good and turbulent times; • Hold us together; • Give us a common purpose, vision, reason to get on the waka; • Give us some guidelines for how we will do our business. • Makes us stand out from the crowd. To be no-one but yourself in a world which is doing its best to make you just like everyone else, means to fight the greatest battle there ever is or ever will be. EE Cummings
Insight No. 9 • Preparing some of our larger organisations for “Boy do I have a Deal for you!” • Impact of settlements • Importance of Investment Planning • Importance of Investment Analysis • Why our Boards and Managers must know what questions to ask and answers to expect no matter how many experts they engage!
Insight No. 10 • There are no text book, off the shelf solutions for many of the issues our Maori organisations face; • No two days are the same; • There are never enough resources, time or people to do all the things many of them are trying to do; • People often driven by passion for the kaupapa but overloaded; • Under increased scrutiny from all stakeholders, like working in a fish bowl; • Communication is always a challenge.
So what can you do? • KISS • Go beyond the call of duty, make it your responsibility to upskill and transfer knowledge into these organisations; • Avoid the temptation to control through knowledge • Think laterally and creatively as accountants do!! • Respect the tikanga and kawa of our organisations, work with it. • Remember its people not numbers that drive financial performance. • Help our organisations get good systems in place.