Whanganui Chronicle
  • Whanganui Chronicle home
  • Latest news
  • Sport
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Property
  • Death notices
  • Classifieds

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • On The Up
  • Sport
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Residential property listings
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology

Locations

  • Taranaki
  • National Park
  • Whakapapa
  • Ohakune
  • Raetihi
  • Taihape
  • Marton
  • Feilding
  • Palmerston North

Media

  • Video
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-Editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

Weather

  • New Plymouth
  • Whanganui
  • Palmertson North
  • Levin

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / Whanganui Chronicle

Govt targets 'chaotic lives'

By Laurel Stowell
Whanganui Chronicle·
15 Sep, 2015 06:37 PM2 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

Bill English

Bill English

Bill English's approach to helping New Zealand's most vulnerable is based on targeted spending to ultimately save money - and that is a logical approach, says Castlecliff Community Charitable Trust community developer Des Warahi.

He was one of about 30 people from non-government organisations who listened to the deputy Prime Minister in Wanganui on Friday. Whanganui MP Chester Borrows had invited Mr English to speak to not-for-profit social service providers after hearing how Jigsaw Whanganui found itself unexpectedly short of funds.

Mr English told the group, and later members of the Whanganui Chamber of Commerce, his National-led government was changing the way social services were funded.

He said it was the "weakest, most vulnerable people with the most chaotic lives" that cost the country billions in social service provision.

Government wanted social services directed toward them.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

"Don't even make a bid unless it's about the hardest 2 per cent of families, because that's where we need to make a difference."

Mr Warahi said this financial emphasis had become stronger over the past five years. The challenge for providers was to translate the needs of their clients into "government speak", and interpret government policy to find "the best bang" for people who needed help.

"The challenge for us is to translate that policy into real world stuff."

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

He said it was easier for big providers to handle that administrative side, and small groups might need to combine resources to cope with it.

"I want to see small ones still get the money, because the small ones do some awesome things."

He said a group like Jigsaw Whanganui, which oversees social workers in schools, could act as lead organisation working with a family, and pass some of the funding on to other groups working with the same family.

That was the Whanau Ora concept, and Mr Warahi believed it was right.

Mr English did refer to Whanau Ora in his speech last week.

"We don't quite know how that's going to develop but because it makes sense we're going to pursue it," Mr English said.

Save

    Share this article

Latest from Whanganui Chronicle

Whanganui Chronicle

'Evocative tribute': Exhibition explores Whanganui's spiritual heritage

04 Jul 03:00 AM
Whanganui Chronicle

Central North Island feels impact of heavy rain

04 Jul 02:44 AM
Premium
Whanganui Chronicle

Tradie's remarkable revival of long-lost NZ clothing brand from his backyard shed

03 Jul 10:43 PM

There’s more to Hawai‘i than beaches and buffets – here’s how to see it differently

sponsored
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from Whanganui Chronicle

'Evocative tribute': Exhibition explores Whanganui's spiritual heritage

'Evocative tribute': Exhibition explores Whanganui's spiritual heritage

04 Jul 03:00 AM

Our Places of Worship is open every day until September 16 at Whanganui Regional Museum.

Central North Island feels impact of heavy rain

Central North Island feels impact of heavy rain

04 Jul 02:44 AM
Premium
Tradie's remarkable revival of long-lost NZ clothing brand from his backyard shed

Tradie's remarkable revival of long-lost NZ clothing brand from his backyard shed

03 Jul 10:43 PM
Thunderstorm risk for top half of the North Island, heavy rain watch for Wairoa
live

Thunderstorm risk for top half of the North Island, heavy rain watch for Wairoa

03 Jul 10:16 PM
From early mornings to easy living
sponsored

From early mornings to easy living

NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • Whanganui Chronicle e-edition
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Subscribe to the Whanganui Chronicle
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • NZME Events
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP