John Tamihere speaks about the cancellation of his multi million dollar government contract
The three original Whānau Ora commissioning agencies lost their contracts in a tender process, including the John Tamihere-led North Island agency.
Changes were said to affect $155m in contracts and potentially hundreds of jobs.
Four new agencies will take over in July.
The new commissioning agencies for Whānau Ora services around the country have been announced after a major contract overhaul that saw all three inaugural agencies lose their decade-long contracts.
That shake-up, revealed last month, impacts $155 million worth of contracts and potentially hundreds of jobs, including 600 linked to the John Tamihere-led agency for the North Island.
Four new commissioning agencies have been announced following a tender process, two in the North Island, one in the South Island and one for Pacific families.
North Island down to Taupō: National Hauora Coalition, Te Tiratū and Ngaa Pou Hauora o Taamaki Makaurau Consortium operating as Rangitāmiro.
North Island, south of Taupō and east to Bay of Plenty and the East Coast: Te Rūnanga o Toa Rangatira.
South Island: Te Tauraki Limited, a subsidiary of Te Rūnanga o Ngāi Tahu.
Pasifika families across Aotearoa: The Cause Collective, operating as The Tātou Collective.
Potaka said the new agencies would ensure the continuation of Whānau Ora support across the country, “whether it’s help accessing better healthcare, improving home budgeting to help ease the cost of living or getting on top of household maintenance”.
Whānau Ora was created in 2010 by the National-led Government and under the leadership of the late Dame Tariana Turia, in recognition that social and health services were not delivering for Māori.
The original commissioning agencies were set up in 2014. They were: Whānau Ora Commissioning Agency (formerly Te Pou Matakana) in the North Island, Te Pūtahitanga o Te Waipounamu in the South Island and Pasifika Futures.
At the time, Te Puni Kōkiri secretary for Māori development Dave Samuels said in a statement it was “timely” that the contracts were put out to the market after 10 years.
He also indicated a change in direction for Whānau Ora, including a greater focus on data-driven outcomes and more frontline delivery of services. Its $155m budget remained unchanged.
Chairwoman of the Whānau Ora Commissioning Agency, Merepeka Raukawa-Tait, previously told the Herald she was “absolutely gutted” to lose the contract.
Whānau Ora Commissioning Agency chairwoman Merepeka Raukawa-Tait said she was “absolutely gutted” to lose the contract after a decade. Photo / Andrew Warner
“After 10 years of delivering to whānau in vulnerable communities, we couldn’t believe the decision.”
The providers which the agency worked with had built up trust within hard-to-reach communities for a decade, she said.
The Herald previously reported an estimated 1000 jobs were at risk following the decision to award the contracts to new providers, although some of those workers could be rehired by newly chosen agencies.
The Whānau Ora Commissioning Agency challenged the loss of their contract in court, but Potaka said in a statement today that the bid was unsuccessful.
He said the court action had “wasted time and created uncertainty for whānau and service providers”.
“The delay means that the move to new commissioning agencies will be more complex than necessary but, with the court’s decision now made, we can move forward with certainty.”
Speaking to the Herald at the time of filing the court papers, Tamihere said the agency had 116 partners – “the crème of Māori expertise, skill and capability throughout Te Ika-ā-Maui who are all interested parties”.
“On behalf of the Whānau Ora Commissioning Agency, its board of directors and all of our partner network, we want to make it very clear that this is a process contesting a Crown agency, contesting this Government’s approach to Māori and contesting Te Puni Kokiri.”
