Kōrero mō te tūranga - About the role
The New Zealand Geographic Board Ngā Pou Taunaha o Aotearoa (Board) is New Zealand's national place naming authority. It makes names for places and features official. As part of its decision making, the Board recognises the relationship people have with the land, acknowledging cultural heritage, connection and identity.
This one year fixed term role researches and provides advice to the Board on place names within New Zealand and on the seafloor of our continental shelf. The Board's legislation and strategy mean there are a high proportion of Māori place names processed as we acknowledge the mana of places, tangata whenua and other communities in our work.
The role supports the understanding of place names through education, liaison and by raising awareness of the Board's mahi through various mediums.

The role is accountable for:

• Undertaking geographical and historical research and analysis on proposals, preparing papers, reports and presentations, providing advice and making recommendations to ensure informed, robust and enduring decisions on place names.
• Reviewing internal and external documents and providing comments and advice on best practice place naming.
• Investigating, altering and creating geospatial information in a GIS database.
• Engaging with, advising and building effective working relationships with iwi/hapū/marae, and national and international agencies and groups.
• Educating, advising and responding to enquiries about the Board or information held by the Board, and best practice place naming.
• Publicly notifying the Board's decisions, including dealing with controversial proposals and decisions, and other Board processes.
• Interpreting, applying and contributing to the development of the Board's standards and guidelines.
• Offering views for open and robust debate within the Secretariat team to improve processes.

These primary responsibilities are shared with one other team member. The role includes managing undersea feature names and filing all media publications relating to place names. Our small collaborative team work closely together to get the mahi done and rely on each other for peer review.
The role is within the Board's Secretariat which reports to the Surveyor-General who is also the Chairperson of the Board. The overarching business group is Regulatory Practice and Delivery (RPD) which has a number of teams operating under legislation, including the Registrar-General of Lands, Valuer-General, Commissioner of Crown Lands and Overseas Investment.
The role offers interesting and varied mahi, which is sometimes challenging due to adverse public responses to proposals. There is a deeply satisfying opportunity to learn more about Aotearoa New Zealand's history, heritage and culture, for both Māori and non-Māori place names. In this role, you will utilise your solutions focused approach and may be delving into historical maps one day, writing a media release the next, entering information into the Gazetteer database the next, and then contributing the Board's annual report.
As an organization, Toitū Te Whenua LINZ embraces diversity, encourages work life balance and we have a flexible approach to the way we work which means you will quickly feel connected and valued.
Our team members have found the role rewarding because of the interesting nature of the mahi and the meaningful outcomes that place naming give to practical need for identifying location as well as providing for sense of identity/belonging which lead to nation building.
He pūkenga tou - Skills & Experience

• Connects and communicates well with others, and is able to develop and maintain strong respectful relationships with Board members, the Secretariat team, Toitū Te Whenua LINZ, stakeholders and the public of New Zealand, including iwi
• Can apply independent governance approaches, statutory processes, government regulation and the machinery of government, and how they apply to the Board and its role,
• Has an appreciation and understanding of Te Tiriti of Waitangi and its principles,
• Understands te ao Māori, and can connect with Māori through understanding te reo, tīkanga and kawa, even if only at a basic level,
• Applies good regulatory practice to preserve the integrity and endurance of decision making,
• Has the ability to take on a diverse range of work relating to all place names, including research, reporting, interpretation and updating a GIS.
• A relevant tertiary qualification is preferred, but experience is equally valued. Backgrounds can be as varied as history, geography, education, spatial mapping, linguistics, tikanga, kawa and te reo Māori, genealogy, anthropology, cartography, and surveying.

Te Tākinatanga - Our Story
Toitū Te Whenua plays a vital role in understanding, developing, and caring for New Zealand's whenua, moana and arawai (land, sea and waterways). Whether you're developing our products and services to support our customers, managing the Crown estate, engaging with our iwi partners, or helping us be an effective regulator, your contribution can make a difference. Our mahi helps New Zealanders have confidence that the development of our land, communities and country is being planned from an informed and expert position that balances environmental, social, cultural, and economic considerations. Now and for future generations.
Our Kia Toipoto Intentions - Public Service Gender, Māori, Pacific and Ethnic Pay Gap Action Plan
Toitū Te Whenua is a diverse team of individuals with different experience and perspectives. This drives our culture and high performance. We know that people from underrepresented groups and women in particular don't apply for roles if they're not a 100% match, but we're not looking for perfection, we're looking for potential. As an inclusive and supportive employer, we value difference and want to encourage anyone interested to apply, regardless of whether you tick all the boxes or not. As an organisation we embrace diversity, encourage work life balance and have a flexible approach to the way we work which means you will quickly feel connected and valued.
Tono mai - How to Apply
For tracking and evaluation purposes, all applications must be submitted via our on-line process. To apply, please click “Apply Online.” You'll be taken through to our Toitū Te Whenua Careers Centre where you'll be able to review further information about the responsibilities and accountabilities of this role in the Position Description. You'll be able to complete your online application form and upload a copy of your CV/Cover Letter.
Applications close Friday 04 October 2024. You must have the legal right to live and work in New Zealand to be eligible for this position. 
You may notice that the Position Description title for this role (Customer Regulatory Specialist – Level two/rua) doesn't match the advertised title. At Toitū Te Whenua we design our roles around shared capabilities (rather than focusing on tasks). This means our position descriptions are broad, one position description can cover many roles, this is known as Broad Based Role (BBR). Using BBR allows us to be responsive to our customers and to strengthen the connections across our organisation. It also gives us the flexibility to provide wider opportunities to our people, to further their careers.
If you have any questions about this role or working at Toitū Te Whenua, please email opportunities@linz.govt.nz and our Recruitment Team will be in touch with you.