Minister Tama Potaka announced the agency's changed responsibilities last August. Photo: RNZ / Samuel Rillstone
The Office for Māori-Crown relations, Te Arawhiti, has changed its name to reflect its smaller role.
Minister Tama Potaka announced in August a rescoping of Te Arawhiti, which would no longer do the monitoring and reporting on Treaty settlement implementation and lead post-settlement relationships.
That work would instead be picked up by the Māori Development Ministry, Te Puni Kōkiri. That change was confirmed in October.
In December, the office confirmed it would disestablish 49 roles, 28 of which were already vacant.
As a result, Te Arawhiti will now be known as Te Tari Whakatau, the Office of Treaty Settlements and Takutai Moana.
Interim chief executive Anaru Mill, who took over the role left vacant when Lil Anderson joined private consultancy Te Amokura, said the name change would take a few weeks to complete.
"The departmental agency has a sharpened focus on completing historical Treaty settlements and supporting Takutai Moana determinations. It's appropriate that we have a new name that reflects the significant changes in our responsibilities," he said.
"Cabinet approved the new name the Office of Treaty Settlements and Takutai Moana: Te Tari Whakatau on 24 February to replace its current name."
He said "te tari" translated to "office" and "whakatau" to "where things are settled or determined".
"This applies equally to the work we do in negotiating Treaty settlements and supporting Takutai Moana applicants."
The office had worked with Len Hetet (Ngāti Maniapoto, Ngāti Tūwharetoa, Te Ātiawa, Ngāti Apa) - who developed the original branding - to create updated designs.
"We have registered the name whakatau.govt.nz and updated our website URL ... it will take a few weeks for us to switch out the name and logo across all our communications including our email addresses, so we ask for patience."
