Whanau Ora takes big step forward

Tariana Turia. Photo / Hawke's Bay Today

Whanau Ora Minister Tariana Turia has announced the 25 organisations chosen to provide Whanau Ora services throughout New Zealand.

At the launch of the $6.6 million Whanau Integration, Innovation and Engagement Fund in Porirua today, Mrs Turia said finalising the providers was a big step in the Whanau Ora programme, which was announced by the Government in April along with a budget commitment of $134.3 million over the next four years.

Mrs Turia said the providers were acting collaboratively and that approach would gain momentum as the policy was delivered.

Under Whanau Ora, money currently spent by different government agencies will be delivered directly to the providers to work through "negotiators" with families facing problems.

Acting Social Development Minister Judith Collins said the providers would be charged with effecting transformative change among whanau and families.

"Whanau Ora contracts will be focused on results, meaning providers will be held accountable for what they achieve with government funding," Ms Collins said.

"We're offering integrated contracts to these providers, allowing them to focus on helping families, not filling forms out and ticking boxes,"

Health Minister Tony Ryall said it was about turning around the "five cars up the driveway" syndrome where families were confronting multiple agencies each working on one or two issues with separate family members.

"We want social services to stop operating in silos when dealing with individuals and their issues, in isolation from what might be happening elsewhere in their lives or their family."

Acting director general of health Andrew Bridgman said the Health Ministry, alongside Te Puni Kokiri and the Ministry of Social Development, would support the providers as they worked towards implementation.

He said the next stage involved laying out detailed action plans, called programmes of action, which would provide the nuts and bolts details about how services would be provided to better meet the needs of families in local communities.

Mrs Turia said the Whanau Integration, Innovation and Engagement Fund would support whanau and families to implement their plan for overcoming challenges.

"This could include developing a whanau plan, training programmes or services to meet the plan's objectives, or developing and providing information and resources for whanau and families."

The fund will be open to Whanau Ora providers as well as non-government organisations including iwi, hapu, runanga, whanau trusts and marae committees.

- NZPA