Te Puni Kokiri defends its decision to replace the existing Whānau Ora Commissioning agencies

Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Māori Development Minister Minister Tama Potaka.

• Te Puni Kōkiri Secretary Dave Samuels announced changes to strengthen Whānau Ora and localise services.
• The three current commissioning agencies will be replaced by new ones in July, affecting around 1000 jobs.
• The decision, involving $155 million in service contracts, has shocked many in the Māori community.

Te Puni Kōkiri secretary for Māori development Dave Samuels says commissioning changes were made to strengthen Whānau Ora and align the service with the Government’s philosophy of devolving services to local communities.

The three incumbent commissioning agencies – Whānau Ora Commissioning Agency in the North Island, Te Pūtahitanga o Te Waipounamu in the South Island and Pasifika Futures – were notified last Friday that their contracts were not being renewed. From July, the three agencies will be replaced by four new commissioning agencies – two for the North Island, one for the South Island and one for Pacific.

An estimated 1000 jobs could be lost in the changeover – around 600 from the Whānau Ora Commissioning Agency alone – but some kaimahi (workers) could find employment with the new agencies.

Dave Samuels, secretary for Māori development te tumu whakarae mō Te Puni Kōkiri.

Samuels says changing the Whānau Ora providers was to deliver on the Government’s philosophy of localising services. The three agencies had been delivering – $155 million in last year’s budget – of Whānau Ora services since its introduction in 2014.

“This is about strengthening. This is about taking an opportunity. This is about making sure that Whānau Ora, if we are successful, is positioned to be able to do more in the community,” Samuels told radio station Waatea 603am.

“There was a strong response from the market. An evaluation panel considered proposals to deliver Whānau Ora services. The panel has now made recommendations, which I have approved, as the chief executive with delegated authority for this process.”

He said everyone who tendered were notified of the selection decisions on Friday, March 7, 2025.

Public announcements on the new arrangements will be made once negotiations have concluded and contracts have been signed. This is on track to be completed in April.

News that the three agencies had missed out on the $155m service contracts had been met with shock by some Māori.

Merepeka Raukawa-Tait said she was gutted to lose the Whanau Ora contract.

Merepeka Raukawa-Tait, who chairs the Whānau Ora Commissioning Agency, said she was “absolutely gutted” to lose the contract.

“After 10 years of delivering to whānau in vulnerable communities, we couldn’t believe the decision,” she said.

The South Island Whānau Ora Commissioning Agency, Te Pūtahitanga o Te Waipounamu, said the Government’s action was the “destruction of Whānau Ora by stealth”.

“We are shocked and utterly devastated,” said Te Pūtahitanga o Te Waipounamu Pouārahi, Ivy Harper, “not just for our staff and partners, the many whānau we work alongside and our communities, but because what the Government is now presenting as Whānau Ora is in fact a watered down version that rips the heart out of what has been a highly successful approach to inequity.”