Rotorua: Whānau Ora thanked for 'hard mahi' during the Covid pandemic

Minister for Whānau Ora Peeni Henare launched the Whānau Ora Commissioning Agency's second Covid-19 report on Tuesday. Photo / Megan Wilson

The "hard mahi" of Whānau Ora during the Covid-19 response has been acknowledged in Rotorua, as it celebrated vaccinating 20 per cent of the national population.

However, there is still work to do before Covid was "really behind us," the Associate Health Minister says.

Yesterday was the final day of a three-day Whānau Ora conference at Te Puia. It started with a karakia followed by Whānau Ora Minister Peeni Henare launching Whānau Ora Commissioning Agency's second Covid-19 report.

Henare thanked everyone for their "hard mahi" during the pandemic.

"Over the past three years ... it has been a war for the hearts and minds of our people.

"It's also been a war to prove to others that Whānau Ora is not just a kaupapa but that Whānau Ora equals success for our people and ... for our country."

But he said Covid was in the rearview mirror of "far too many".

Speaking to the Rotorua Daily Post afterwards, Henare, who is also the Associate Health Minister (Māori Health), said there was some way to go before Covid was "really behind us".

"It's been such challenging two-and-a-half years that we're yet to fully realise the impact of Covid moving forward.

"We support mental wellbeing - that's through access and choice and we know the impact on whānau. It's starting to come out in our tamariki and their mental wellbeing."

Henare said the Covid report looked at what was achieved during the Covid response and what could be done differently in the future.

"We don't hope another pandemic comes to this country but ... we feel far more prepared than we were before [Covid]."

Waiata on the final day of a three-day Whānau Ora conference at Te Puia. Photo / Megan Wilson

Asked what went well with the Covid response, Henare said the focus on whānau in Māori communities.

"So not just looking towards vaccinating or servicing the individual but whānau - that was a huge reach into the community which was really important."

Asked what could have been done better, Henare said there were challenges reaching into some "really difficult communities" with Covid vaccinations.

"It's easy to single out the gangs but it's not just the gangs - it was large numbers of our community who haven't been connected with any service for a long time," he said.

"I think that's a lesson that we can't wait for emergencies to look towards connection - we've got to maintain and sustain them."

Whānau Ora Commissioning Agency chief executive John Tamihere spoke about the Whānau Ora Covid response. Photo / Megan Wilson

At the conference, Whānau Ora Commissioning Agency chief executive John Tamihere spoke about the "magnificent" statistics of the Whānau Ora Covid response, and attributed them to the "magic of our people".

Nationally, Whānau Ora had 1900 frontline kaimahi [employees], 177 vaccination centres and clinics and 144 mobile vaccination and testing teams.

"We vaccinated 20 per cent of the total population of Aotearoa," he said, which was met with applause.

"We tested [with] PCR tests over 1 million people."

Tamihere said without Henare, "we wouldn't have been able to get to where we've got".

On Monday at the conference, a kaupapa Māori framework was launched that put whānau at the "centre" of their journeys when seeking support, with the aim to carry forward the work that was started during the Covid-19 pandemic.

The framework - Te Kawa o Whānau Ora - was launched by its architect Dr Kiri Tamihere-Waititi, who described it as an indigenous model of Māori working with one another and how it expected the Crown to engage with Māori moving forward.