Eke Taumata

Eke Taumata is a new programme established to support Fire and Emergency to achieve long-term workplace culture change and ensure a positive work experience for our people.

Part of the remit of Eke Taumata, is to respond the recommendations in the Te Kawa Mataaho Public Service Commission review released in December 2022. You can find the full review and recommendations(external link) on Te Kawa Mataaho’s website.

The recommendations fall into 5 key themes:

1. Strong and accountable leadership
2. Clear expectations and consequences
3. Diverse leaders and workplace
4. Improved people management
5. Independent determination of complaints. 

If we want to change our culture, we need to do more than implement the recommendations. We also need to recognise the intentions behind the recommendations and make the systemic changes needed to build a workplace defined by respect and inclusion.

We have a collective responsibility for this mahi – Eke Taumata is about our values and who we are and want to be as an organisation.

We’re committed to doing this right which means taking the time to understand, to build a strong foundation and then to move forward together in the right direction.

Work underway

The first priority for Eke Taumata is to undertake a current state assessment of the mahi that is already happening or has been completed that will help us improve our workplace culture. This current state assessment will then inform our long-term workplace culture change action plan. The current state assessment will be completed in June 2023 with a report delivered in July.

Another key workstream is to deliver against recommendations 14, 15 and 16. That means developing transitional arrangements for complaint management. We expect to be delivering that by the end of 2023.

About our name:

Eke Taumata is the abbreviated version of – “Kia eke ki ngā taumata” or to aspire to greater level. Taumata refers to a pinnacle or higher level. Other interpretations refer to taumata as being the top of a hill, an improved desired state or vision. In our context we can describe our own taumata or the desired state for our workplace. Eke is a verb that in our context means to climb or embark upon. Together the two words describe our active journey to our desired improved state.