The Government's flagship welfare policy for Maori, Whanau Ora - worth $40 million this year - is designed to lift families out of poverty and dysfunction, but it has been criticised as a waste of money and an opportunity for some to rort the system. In a four-part investigation reporter Yvonne Tahana speaks to those at Whanau Ora's frontline.
A Mangere mother of three whose daughter was allegedly sexually abused says she was at breaking point before Whanau Ora workers helped to steer her family through a tough time - which included living in a single room with her children.
The Herald cannot name the 30-year-old because of a pending court case in relation to the abuse allegations against an ex-partner.
The family, which includes two other young children, had been on Housing New Zealand's waiting list for a number of years and were forced to move out of their rental property because it was being sold.
The mother, who has a part-time office job and is studying for a social work degree, had to rely on friends in a home where cardboard covered broken windows. Three adults and six kids lived in the three-bedroom house.
