Lady Tureiti Moxon (left) on a panel with Materoa Mar and Helmut Modlik (right). Photo / Supplied
Lady Tureiti Moxon (left) on a panel with Materoa Mar and Helmut Modlik (right). Photo / Supplied
Opinion
On the 10th anniversary since the very first conference, Chair Merepeka Raukawa-Tait opened the Whānau Ora Commissioning Agency hui in the spirit of aroha and aspiration.
She said, "What sets Whānau Ora apart is when we look at whānau through the eyes of their tūpuna. Through the eyes of love, we see the absolute potential their kuia and koro saw."
Hundreds of the Commissioning Agency partners and delegates including the Whānau Ora Minister Peeni Henare gathered to celebrate at Tū Ana Ngā Pou Angitū (Stand Up the Pillars of Success).
It was a time to reflect on the achievements and success of the work undertaken by the 13 Whānau Ora Collectives from all over the North Island. The pandemic response was a magnificent achievement by service providers, kaimahi and whanau who rose to the occasion and did what was needed everywhere.
The statistical snapshots told the story of community outreach that achieved unprecedented results and this should not be forgotten. Whānau Ora kaimahi vaccinated 20 per cent of the total population of Aotearoa, administered more than a million Covid tests, distributed over 1.9 million RATs tests, deployed over 900,000 Whānau Ora packs deployed, and channelled thousands upon thousands through 40 mobile clinics and CBAC testing stations.
Lady Tureiti Moxon. Photo / NZME
The Hui held wānanga on Māori-led, whānau-centred and culturally grounded moments that showed the character of our philosophy and hardwired mana motuhake.
All delivered by our strong, unwavering collective backbone that served around the clock.
There were many exemplary leadership stories and reports on the innovative and sophisticated Whānau Ora solutions that place whānau right at the centre of all that we do.
All these accelerated efforts were aided by a powerful and far-reaching for-Māori-by-Māori communications strategy that was unapologetically focused on protecting our whakapapa.
The net result was that both Māori and non-Māori of multiple ethnicities connected with our Whānau Ora kaupapa, which speaks volumes for its universal appeal.
I saw all those Bentleys and flash cars coming through Kirikiriroa Marae – we even vaccinated one of the richest people in the whole of Hamilton.
They came on to the Marae and experienced what it means to receive manaakitanga that we gave to everyone, Māori and non-Māori.
What works for Māori, works for all. We did more for race relations in this country than we have ever been able to achieve since the signing of Te Tiriti.
It's a fact that Whānau Ora continues to disrupt and evolve the standard operating and funding system.
Our whānau-centred way is compassionate to the core, proving time and time again it's light years ahead of the siloed, prescriptive, deficit and output-orientated system of old.
The Hui unpacked the pillars that form the successful structure of Whānau Ora.
We saw the launch of Te Kawa o Whānau Ora, a new kaupapa Māori competency framework that distinguishes our workforce from others as it is founded on knowledge from our tūpuna.
Dr Kiri Tamihere-Waititi developed it, explaining why Ngākau Māori (the beating heart that drives the decisions we make as a people), Mana Motuhake (sovereignty and autonomy), Tūmanakohanga (hope and ambition needed to succeed), Tūhono (traditional connections), Ngā Hua (the fruits and outcomes of success) and Matataki (people, whānau and hapori) underpins our Whānau Ora methodology.
From a big picture perspective, at its essence, it all boils down to our "Māori heart" – one that's empathetic, inclusive, authentic, and tūturu beats for our whānau.
Lady Tureiti Moxon is chairwoman of the National Urban Māori Authority and managing director at Te Kohao Health.
