Establishment of Te Mahau within a redesigned Te Tāhuhu o te Mātauranga | Ministry of Education

Establishing Te Mahau is the key driver of the Ministry’s 2021-2023 change programme. Te Mahau provides services and support for teachers and education leaders, ākonga and whānau.

On 4 October 2021, Te Mahau was established within a redesigned Te Tāhuhu o te Mātauranga | Ministry of Education. At that time, Te Tāhuhu o te Mātauranga also committed to shifting the way we work across 4 substantive areas:

  • Taking practical action to give effect to Te Tiriti o Waitangi.
  • Giving priority to regional and local voice.
  • Delivering greater responsiveness, accessibility and integrated services and support.
  • Improving feedback loops and information flows.

The new structure, encompassing Te Mahau, is based on Te Whare o te Mātauranga which sets the theme for our organisation and represents our kāwanatanga role in providing a national education system that meets the needs of ākonga in Aotearoa.

Following on from the new overarching structure and leadership introduced in October 2021, internal consultation began on the detailed redesign proposal of Te Tāhuhu o te Mātauranga, inclusive of Te Mahau, in October 2022.

The changes proposed represent the first time we have had the opportunity to step back and design Te Tāhuhu o te Mātauranga in detail, to support how we work to provide locally, regionally and nationally integrated services, support and challenge to the improve the overall system to deliver equitable and excellent outcomes.

Feedback was considered and the decision document was released in November 2022. The effective date of the new structure was 3 April 2023. You can find the relevant consultation and decision information linked below.

Feedback documents

Summary of consultation material

Summary of Proposed Organisation Redesign for consultation [PDF, 615 KB]

Full consultation material

Introduction of Proposed Organisation Redesign for consultation [PDF, 435 KB]

Proposed design of Te Mahau for consultation [PDF, 1.7 MB]

Proposed design of Te Pae Aronui – Operations and Integration for consultation [PDF, 4.9 MB]

Proposed design of Te Poutāhū – Curriculum Centre for consultation [PDF, 1.6 MB]

Proposed design of Te Puna Ohumahi Mātauranga – Education Workforce for consultation [PDF, 1.3 MB]

Proposed design of Te Puna Hanganga Matihiko – Infrastructure and Digital for consultation [PDF, 1.4 MB]

Proposed design of Te Puna Kaupapahere – Policy for consultation [PDF, 1.2 MB]

Proposed design of Te Puna Rangatōpū – Corporate services for consultation [PDF, 1.9 MB]

Summary of decision material

Summary of Final Decisions on the Organisation Redesign [PDF, 848 KB]

Full decision material

Ngā Whakataunga | Decisions Document Part A Introduction to Decisions [PDF, 2.7 MB]

Ngā Whakataunga o Te Mahau takiwā | Te Mahau takiwā Decisions [PDF, 2.5 MB]

Ngā Whakataunga o Te Pae Aronui | Operations and Integration Decisions [PDF, 3.4 MB]

Ngā Whakataunga o Te Poutāhū| Curriculum Centre Decisions [PDF, 1.8 MB]

Ngā Whakataunga o Te Pou Ohumahi Mātauranga | Education Workforce Decisions [PDF, 728 KB]

Ngā Whakataunga o Te Pou Hanganga, Matihiko | Infrastructure and Digital Decisions [PDF, 1.5 MB]

Ngā Whakataunga o Te Pou Kaupapahere | Policy Decisions [PDF, 907 KB]

Ngā Whakataunga o Te Pou Rangatōpū | Corporate services Decisions [PDF, 2.5 MB]

About Te Mahau

Te Mahau is the name that replaces the working title “education service agency”. Te Mahau includes our regional offices organised into three frontline groups, as well as Te Poutāhū | The Curriculum Centre, and Te Pae Aronui | Operations and Integration.

Read about the background and structure of Te Mahau within a redesigned Te Tāhuhu o te Mātauranga.

Te Mahau within a redesigned Te Tāhuhu o te Mātauranga

Visit Te Mahau website:

Te Mahau website(external link)

The website will be developed and built on over time, and we’d value your feedback on what it should include. 

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