Te Puni Kokiri has branches from Whangarei to Invercargill, with Te Kaiwhakarite (mobile workers) working directly with a host of Maori and mainstream agencies. As the Government’s principal advisor on Maori issues, Te Puni Kokiri sets development targets and also monitors and audits programmes in Maori health, employment, education and economic development.

To help staff work across a range of projects and issues Te Puni Kokiri is becoming more mobile. In its Wellington head office desktop phones have been replaced with Telecom Harrier and Apache PDAs and a wireless LAN (local area network) has removed the need for computer cables and phone jacks.

“We’ve provided more than 150 staff with PDAs which they use as a combination of desktop and mobile phone as well as using them to check emails or get online information when they are off-site,” says group manager of Information Services Gary Weston-Webb.

“We have recycled our desktop phones to our meeting rooms as voice points for audio calls.”

Increased mobility
“The PDAs give us flexibility. I use mine to check my emails and clear email filters on the bus into work and our team use theirs for online maintenance and checking our support systems – you don’t need to be at your PC.”

One of Te Puni Kokiri’s key roles is to provide policy advice and this can involve people from different groups working together on a project. Because of their increased mobility that’s very easy and inexpensive to accommodate.

Regional access
“There’s no need to rewire phones or PCs when staff move desks, because people can simply take their equipment with them – all they really need is a powerpoint,” says Weston-Webb.

“The package is dollar neutral in a telephone sense but with the benefit of greater flexibility in how we work. Ultimately I will do away the PABX, which directs calls to landlines, to create cost and time savings. Over the next six months Te Puni Kokiri will be rolling out the new equipment to more staff in the regions. Te Kaiwhakarite are often away from the office but need access to centrally held information such as emails or copies of contracts.

The extension of Telecom Mobile Broadband – which provides remote Internet access at broadband speeds – to more regional centres will be a big plus for Te Puni Kokiri in helping to provide that access.

“Often organisations we visit may only have one phone – with a toll bar – so we aim to provide the equipment and systems that enables Te Kaiwhakarite to work relatively independently,” says Weston-Webb.

“The new technology has given us greater flexibility in how and where we work and is making change – which is a constant today – much simpler to manage.”

October 2006