Pasifika Advisory Group

Terms of Reference

26 January 2015

Table of Contents

1.Background

2.Governance requirements

3.Purpose

4.Group role

5.Membership

6.Board Chair

7.Conflict of interest

8.Expenses

9.Reporting

10.Quorum and voting

11.Apologies

12.Commencement and end date

13.Meeting structure

14.Meeting packs

15.Recommendations

16.Minutes

17.Reporting

18.Meeting details

1.Background

The Pasifika Advisory Group (PAG) is an arrangement within the Ministry of Education to enable Pasifika community representatives to have input into the Ministry’s Pasifika related policy and programme development.

Authoritative and expert Pasifika community advice and advocacy are required to achieve key Pasifika education goals and outcomes such as:

  • the Pasifika Education Plan 2013-2017 (PEP), the education sector’s vision[1] and investment approach to accelerate and raise the educational achievement for Pasifika learners, their parents, families and communities across the education pipeline.
  • the Ministry of Education’s priority of ‘Improving education outcomes for Māori students, Pasifika students, students with special needs and students from low socio-economic areas’.

The Ministry’s Pasifika Education team undertook a Pasifika education governance review of PAG to identify the most effective governance approach for:

  • Pasifika community representation and advice (national level)
  • delivery and implementation of the PEP 2013-2017 across PEP partner agencies
  • implementation of practical Pasifika focused initiatives.

The new PAG clarifies the role and responsibilities of each member and how they work and link in with each other. The review took into account the concerns raised by previous Pasifika Advisory Group members. It also considered best practice governance frameworks, guidelines and processes to ensure both community and operational requirements are met.

2.Governance requirements

The ‘life cycle’ of the PEP is characterised in the following stages:

  1. PEP development (setting the strategic direction)
  2. PEP implementation (programme/project delivery, monitoring and evaluation)
  3. PEP refresh (mid-term review to focus investment and accelerate or expand effective programmes that raise Pasifika engagement, participation and achievement).

The PEP is in the second year of implementation and planning for the mid-term refresh is beginning (to be completed by June 2015). Effective governance for this stage of the PEP requires:

  • community input and representation
  • senior agency representatives with a programme level delivery focus
  • evidence based decision making.

Ministry of Education’s Performance Improvement Board

The Ministry is creating a Performance Improvement Board to raise the education outcomes for Pasifika by integrating and embedding Pasifika requirements into all Ministry activity (i.e. policy, operational, programme).

This Board will seek Pasifika Advisory Group input, advocacy, and professional research advice on strategic direction and priorities as and when required. The aim is to engender a valued relationship based on a shared commitment to better education outcomes, along with information and knowledge sharing.

3.Purpose

The purpose of PAG is to provide critique and advice to the Ministry of Education on ways to improve the education system’s effectiveness to improve the education outcomes for Pasifika students.

Group members also work alongside the Ministry in the engagement with Pasifika parents, families, communities and students. This involves sharing and exchanging information, ideas and concerns, and raising parental and community expectations for better education outcomes from the education system.

4.Group role

PAG is a core component of improving Pasifika education outcomes.

As a Group, members are responsible for:

  1. providing authoritative Pasifika community input and advice on the issues and challenges which Pasifika students, parents, families and communities face
  2. critiquing Ministry of Education Pasifika related policy development
  3. advocating the value of education and action that Pasifika parents, families and communities can take to raise Pasifika student achievement
  4. promoting regional talanoa as knowledge sharing opportunities for Pasifika parents, families and communities and education agencies

Note:

  • The Group does not have decision making authority.
  • The Group recognises that while they provide advice they respect the Ministry’s sensitivities in choosing to accept it.
  • The Ministry works with the existing professional bodies e.g. NZSTA, unions and service providers. The purpose of this group is not to duplicate those channels.

5.Membership

PAG membership is for a period of three years.

Member selection will be based on the right combination of competencies, skills and experience.

Membership consists of:

Location / Number of Positions / Representative(s)
Auckland region / 3 positions / TBC by the appointment process
Central North Island / 2 positions / TBC by the appointment process
Wellington region / 2 positions / TBC by the appointment process
South Island / 3 positions / TBC by the appointment process
Ministry of Education / 1 position / RawiriBrell, Deputy Secretary Early Learning, Parents and Whanau

Each Group member:

  • Is committed to Pasifika education and understands the importance of their personal contribution to improving achievement
  • Has the capacity, availability and capability to fulfil the role
  • Is fully committed to membership for the three year duration
  • Is able to provide constructive input and advice
  • Is able to actively assist with issue resolution
  • Is committed to prepare for, and attend, PAG meetings (two per year)
  • Has formally accepted these terms of reference.

6.Board Chair

The Chair must be

  • Able to effectively delegate
  • Demonstrates effective leadership and facilitation skills
  • Accessible to all key players
  • Reliable
  • both pro-active and re-active to the task at hand

The Chair role will be undertaken by two co-Chairs:

  • A PAG community representative with the appropriate skills and experience (selected by the confirmed community representatives)
  • RawiriBrell, Deputy Secretary Early Learning, Parents and Whanau, Ministry of Education

Each co-Chair will oversee one PAG meeting per year. If the scheduled co-Chair is unavailable, then the alternate co-Chair will be responsible for convening and conducting that meeting.

The Chair will be responsible for PAG meeting management. They will liaise with the PAG secretariat to:

  • deliver and manage the meeting invitation, ensuring a quorum
  • ensure the meeting agenda, previous minutes and papers requiring pre-reading are distributed at least five working days before the meeting.
  • ensure meeting minutes and actions are clear, concise and distributed within
    10 working days after the meeting.

7.Conflict of interest

A conflict of interest is where someone is compromised when their personal interests or obligations conflict with the responsibilities of their job or position. It means that their independence, objectivity or impartiality can be called into question.

A conflict of interest can be:

  • actual: where the conflict already exists
  • potential: where the conflict is about to happen, or could happen
  • perceived: where other people might reasonably think that a person has been compromised.

An interest register will be maintained by the Ministry of Education. Members are responsible for ensuring their interests on the register are maintained.

The Register will be reviewed at the commencement of each meeting and a decision made by the PAG Chair as to how conflicts of interest in relation to the meeting agenda (if any) are to be managed.

8.Expenses

Expenses will be paid as follows:

Expense / Payment (excl GST)
Travel - PAG meetings / Travel expenses i.e. airfares, taxis, mileage
Accommodation - PAG meetings / One nights’ accommodation per meeting for locations with limited flight availability (e.g. central North Island, lower South Island)

9.Reporting

The aim is to share useful Pasifika education information and feedback across the Pasifika governance structure i.e. between the Pasifika community and the Ministry of Education and its education partner agencies.

Pasifika Education Plan (PEP) ministerial progress reports will be provided to the PAG (six monthly).

  • The PAG minutes (notably community input and advice) will be shared with the MoE Performance Improvement Board and IGPEP members if appropriate.

10.Quorum and voting

A minimum of seven Group members (excluding Ministry of Education staff) are required for the meeting to be recognised as an authorised meeting for the recommendations or resolutions to be valid.

11.Apologies

Absences are to be advised to the Chair via the PAG Secretariat email address, .

The PAG Secretariat is responsible for advising absences and confirming the quorum with the Chair.

As the Group only meets twice per year it is expected that all members prioritise their attendance. The meeting schedule for the coming year is included to facilitate this. There are no proxy attendees.

12.Commencement and end date

These terms of reference will commence from the date signed by the new group members and ends on 22 December 2017.

13.Meeting structure

The Chair shall convene the Group meetings.

The Group will meet six monthly with an agreed agenda and meeting focus. Additional meetings or workshops to be held as required.

The Group will operate according to the Group meeting pack agenda.

The Ministry of Education will host meetings and provide refreshments.

PAG secretariat services, reporting compilation and communications will be provided by the Ministry of Education, overseen by the Group Manager, Pasifika Education (PAG meeting attendee).

14.Meeting packs

All proposed Group agenda items must be forwarded to the PAG Secretariat 10 working days prior to the next scheduled meeting.

The meeting pack should include but not be limited to:

  • Agenda
  • Minutes of last meeting
  • Pasifika education progress reports
  • Any papers that are required to provide information to the Group or to request advice

The PAG Secretariat is responsible for distributing the Group pack to the members a minimum of five working days before the meeting.

Late papers will not be accepted for discussion/approval at the meeting.

15.Recommendations

Recommendations will be made by consensus with the Chair casting the deciding vote.

Recommendations and advice will be recorded in the minutes of the meeting.

16.Minutes

The PAG Secretariat is responsible for formally recording the Group discussions and recommendations, and distributing minutes to Group members within ten working days after the meeting.

A suitably skilled person to complete this role will be provided by the Ministry of Education.

17.Reporting

PEP reporting will be provided to:

  • the Minister for Tertiary Education, Skills and Employment and the Minister of Education (six monthly)
  • individual agency governance groups e.g. the MoE Performance Improvement Board (quarterly)

18.Meeting details

The first meeting will be held on 29 June 2015 with following meeting dates to be agreed with the incoming members.

[1] The PEP vision is, ‘Five out of five Pasifika learners participating, engaging and achieving in education, secure in their identities, languages and culture and contributing fully to Aotearoa New Zealand’s social, cultural and economic wellbeing’.