The Te Ako Manaaki Framework
A shared way of working across systems
Te Ako Manaaki connects strategic leadership, collaborative practice, trusted relationships and continuous learning so that organisations can act together around the lives of people and whānau.
Framework overview
From separate services to collective responsibility
Te Ako Manaaki is an evidence-informed and adaptable framework for cross-sector collaboration. It supports government agencies, iwi, communities, schools, providers and practitioners to align around shared outcomes while retaining their distinct roles and expertise.
It is not a single service model or a prescribed programme. It is a structure and practice approach that can be embedded within existing systems.
The central shift is from asking, “Whose responsibility is this?” to asking, “What outcome are we collectively responsible for, and what can each of us contribute?”
Three connected levels
Change must happen around people, between organisations and across the wider system
Te Ako Manaaki links these levels so that individual experience informs service improvement and strategic decision-making.
People and whānau
Relational practice
Trusted engagement, shared planning and practical support begin with the aspirations, strengths, context and safety of the people involved.
Organisations and teams
Collective practice
Partners combine their knowledge, authority, relationships and resources through clear roles, shared plans and accountable action.
Leadership and system
Strategic alignment
Governance, funding, policy and system leaders address recurring barriers, enable local practice and use learning to improve the wider response.
Core components
The infrastructure that enables collaboration to endure
Goodwill is important, but it is not enough. Sustainable collaboration requires an enabling structure.
Shared purpose and outcomes
Partners develop a clear understanding of the change they are seeking and how success will be recognised.
Strategic leadership and governance
Leaders provide authority, direction, accountability and the mandate to address barriers that cannot be resolved operationally.
Backbone and facilitation
Dedicated coordination holds the relationships, processes, information and momentum needed to turn shared intent into action.
Relational and navigation roles
Trusted practitioners work alongside people and whānau, maintain continuity and help them access and navigate the right support.
Collective planning and action
The right people contribute what they know and control, with actions, responsibilities and timeframes made explicit.
Evidence, reflection and adaptation
Information from individual experience, delivery and outcomes is used to improve practice and influence strategic decisions.
Principles in practice
How people work together matters as much as the structure
These principles guide decisions, relationships and action at every level.
People and whānau at the centre
Are we doing what is best for the people whose lives are affected?
Solutions are a shared responsibility
What can each of us contribute, and how can those contributions work together?
Relationships enable change
Are we strengthening trust, participation, respect and continuity?
Strengths are the starting point
How can we build on existing capability, culture, knowledge and resources?
Participation is inclusive
Who needs to be involved, heard and enabled to contribute effectively?
Learning is continuous
What is the evidence telling us, and what needs to change as a result?
Implementation pathway
Established with communities, not applied to them
The framework is adapted through a staged process that protects its principles while responding to local context.
What the framework is designed to change
Outcomes for people and capability across the system
- People and whānau experience more coherent, trusted and responsive support.
- Practitioners have clearer pathways, stronger relationships and greater ability to solve problems together.
- Organisations use their existing expertise and resources more effectively.
- Leaders gain clearer visibility of recurring barriers, gaps and opportunities for investment.
- Learning from delivery informs policy, commissioning, funding and system improvement.
Adaptable by design
Consistent principles, locally shaped application
Te Ako Manaaki began through work to strengthen education pathways and prevent disengagement. It has since developed into a broader framework that can support collaboration across education, attendance, disability, youth and whānau wellbeing, family harm responses, community innovation and integrated service delivery.
Framework resources
Explore the framework in more detail
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Working with Te Ako Manaaki
Interested in applying the framework?
We work alongside government, funders, iwi, organisations and communities to assess readiness, co-design implementation, build collaborative capability and evaluate impact.
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Te Ako Manaaki 