Listening for Better Procurement

Nā te rongo, ka mōhio.
Nā te mōhio, ka mārama.
Nā te mārama, ka matau.
Nā te matau, ka ora. 

Through listening comes understanding.
Through understanding comes clarity.
Through clarity comes knowledge.
Through knowledge comes wellbeing.

At the heart of Project Ue and Project Uaki lies one powerful truth: change begins by listening. 

Listening to Māori and Pasifika business owners. Listening to procurement specialists. Listening to those who navigate - or avoid - the procurement system every day. 

Too often, procurement reform is done to people, not with them. These projects flipped that script. From the outset, Te Ara Hiranga was engaged to lead a co-design process grounded in whakawhanaungatanga, manaakitanga, and the lived experiences of those most impacted by systemic exclusion. 

This article explores how that approach shaped not just what was built, but how it was built. 

What Co-Design Really Means 

 Co-design isn’t a workshop. It’s not a sticky-note exercise or a one-off consultation. Co-design, done properly, is a sustained commitment to shifting power. It means creating space for diverse voices to be heard, believed, and embedded into the fabric of new solutions. 

In Projects Ue and Uaki, this meant working alongside: 

• Māori and Pasifika business owners with real stories of exclusion
• Procurement professionals with practical knowledge of constraints
• Local councils and regional leaders committed to systemic improvement 

Listening sessions, challenge workshops, and prototyping exercises were all grounded in the principle that those closest to the problem are also closest to the solution. 

From Listening to Design 

 The lived experience of vendors shaped every product that emerged - from the Connect & Thrive engagement model to the Warrant of Readiness (WOR), and the Contract Performance Platform. 

For example: 

• Business owners told us they feel shut out of procurement before they even start. That insight led to the creation of a structured readiness pathway and WOR tool that maps capability gaps and supports growth, not just compliance.
• Vendors shared that RFPs favour those who know how to play the game - leading to recommendations for better pre-qualification tools, simplified processes, and real-time support.
• Procurement staff highlighted concerns around risk, legal compliance, and fragmented systems - prompting the development of integrated platforms and shared assurance models. 

Listening wasn’t just the starting point. It was the method through which the entire framework was built. 

Honouring Diverse Ways of Knowing 

 By incorporating te ao Māori values and Pacific perspectives, the projects went beyond technical fixes. They acknowledged that economic development is also about whakapapa, whenua, and whānau. That success isn’t just financial; it’s relational. 

That’s why Project Uaki frames procurement uplift as a regional kaupapa - one that fosters collective wellbeing, not just efficient transactions. 

Why It Matters 

 When we begin with listening, we build systems that reflect the communities they’re meant to serve. We reduce inequity not through charity, but through structural change. We create tools that people actually want to use - because they helped shape them. 

The old model of procurement assumed that expertise sat with government. This new approach honours the dual wisdom of practice and lived experience. 

What’s Next 

 As we continue this series, we’ll explore how those co-designed tools - like Connect & Thrive and the WOR - work in practice to shift the dial. But first, it’s worth pausing to recognise that systems change doesn’t start with innovation. 

It starts with listening.