About Internal Affairs

About the Te Tari Taiwhenua – Department of Internal Affairs

The purpose of Internal Affairs is to serve and connect people, communities and government to build a safe, prosperous and respected nation. In other words, it’s all about helping to make New Zealand better for New Zealanders.

Ko tā te Tari Taiwhenua he whakarato me te hono i ngā iwi, ngā hapori me te kāwanatanga ki te hanga motu haumaru, tōnui, whai mana hoki.

Everything Internal Affairs does is underpinned by three principles:

Internal Affairs’ Māori Strategic Framework, Te Aka Taiwhenua, enables them to work effectively with Māori. You can read more about this here.