Tō mātou haerenga Tiriti Our Tiriti journey In 2015 the Human Rights Commission committed to becoming a Tiriti-based organisation. Over the 5 years to 2019 the journey saw highs and lows, leading to a 2019 board decision to elevate that commitment with the creation and recruitment of a Pou Ārahi role. The role, which was recruited to in early 2020, leads Ahi Kaa (tangata whenua team), and has specialist ownership for Te Tiriti o Waitangi and indigenous rights, as well as Deputy CEO responsibilities in recognition of the Tiriti partnership in the organisation. The Pou Ārahi commenced with the Commission at the beginning of the worldwide pandemic, which resulted in the first ever whole of Commission Tiriti based project being launched in response to COVID-19. Alongside our COVID-19 response, the Commission focused on reigniting Te Hā o te Tiriti (the life ‘s breath of te Tiriti) as a kaupapa matua within the Commission, reimagining the potential of a national human rights institution grounded within tino rangatiratanga and kāwanatanga, building relationships with tino rangatiratanga representatives, and strategic forecasting, mapping and charting the course to become human rights and Tiriti based, including prioritising foundational steps and stages. In July 2020 our Te Hā o Te Tiriti project was launched with the following project stages: • Stage one: transform the Commission to operate as an Interim Tiriti-based organisation within its current parameters by June 2022. • Stage two: facilitate an engagement process based on Matike Mai Aotearoa to reimagine and design a fully human rights and Tiriti based national human rights institution, positioned within the relational sphere between the partnership spheres and authority of tino rangatiratanga (Iwi, hapū and whānau) and kāwanatanga (government) by December 2023. This will include the action plan to implement the new design. • Stage three: implement the action plan to establish a human rights and Tiriti based national human rights institution as an exemplar of Te Tiriti, Matike Mai Aotearoa and human rights by 2025. Over the last two years we have made some large strides forward in relationship with Pou Tikanga of the National Iwi Chairs Forum. For example, we submitted our first ever human rights and Tiriti based Statement of Intent (SOI) and Statement of Performance Expectations (SPE) to government. To our knowledge, we are the first Crown entity or department to submit an SOI and SPE that explicitly makes space for both a tino rangatiratanga and a kāwanatanga view. Our commitment is to a holistic expression of te Tiriti and human rights: respectful relationships, shared responsibilities, and all human rights. Moira Lawler Acting Chief Executive 10 | Strategic Plan 2021-2025