Te Ururoa Flavell: Whanau Ora successes

Former Maori co-leader Tariana Turia and Prime Minister John Key make a pre-Budget announcement on the funding for Whanau Ora in Wellington in 2010.

Last week, I welcomed the Office of the Auditor General's report into phase one of Whanau Ora (2010-2014) - Whanau Ora: The First Four Years.

Since Whanau Ora began in 2010, about 9400 families, or about 50,000 people have benefited from whanau-centred service delivery, including many from Waiariki. Of those 50,000 individuals, about 35 per cent are non-Maori or Pacific. So we know it reaches into communities.

The report outlined some concerns, including how some find it difficult to describe what Whanau Ora is, and what it does. One could well expect that, bearing in mind it is an attempt to deal with the key issues among our communities through a unique Maori lens.

When we place the potential of a whanau within the responsibility of its members, so that they can be self-managing in order to find solutions based on their own aspirations, seemingly intractable issues take a back seat.

Whanau Ora was always about being bold and looking for a different way of doing things in dealing with families who have issues. I believe we have already achieved the goal but there is still much to do.

I am immensely proud of Whanau Ora. Just as the kohanga reo movement can take some of the credit for supporting the renaissance of our precious language, Whanau Ora too will be marked as a milestone in history for providers, whanau and communities who supported whanau, aiga and families, to be self-managing.

Returning to the status quo prior to the introduction of Whanau Ora is simply not an option.

I commit to taking on board the lessons and insights from this report and the Productivity Commission's Report. Both give a good steer on the areas where we need to sharpen our focus, and both also offer some good markers in terms of how far we have come in such a short time.

Phase two of Whanau Ora has some significant changes already. We have three non-government commissioning agencies and the establishment of a Whanau Ora Partnership Group

Since Whanau Ora was established, I have heard and seen many individuals and whanau improve their lives beyond measure, simply by having a navigator walking alongside them providing guidance when and as needed in order that they reach their goals.

Maori translation:

Tena tatou katoa.

I te wiki kua hipa i puta te purongo o te hunga arotake o te Kawanatanga mo te wahanga tuatahi o te kaupapa nei o Whanau Ora.

Mai i tona orokohanga, i te tau 2010, kua whiwhi ko nga 9400 whanau, tata ki te 50,000 tangata i nga painga o Whanau Ora, no konei no te kainga tonu etahi. Ko te toru tekau ma rima o tera hunga ehara i te Maori, no reira kei te mohio tonu matou ina ke te whanui o tona paanga ki nga hapori.

Ara ano etahi paku hapa o te kaupapa. E ai ki ta etahi, kaore ratou i te tino marama ki te tino ngako o Whanau Ora, otira ko tona kaupapa, ko tona putake. E tika ana pea kia pera, i te mea he rereke tona tirohanga. Ko tona tirohanga he tirohanga Maori, he tirohanga e ngana nei ki te whakatika i te raru, ki te kimi i tetahi huarahi whakatika i te raru.

Mena ka waihotia ake ko te mana o te whanau ki roto i nga ringa o te whanau tonu kia taea ai e ratou te whai i to ratou ake tino rangatiratanga, otira ko nga huarahi katoa e tutuki ai o ratou wawata, ka eke panuku ka eke tangaroa.

Mai i tona timatatanga, he whanui te tirohanga o Whanau Ora, he rereke tona tirohanga ki era o nga tau kua hipa mo te hunga e rongo nei I nga take uaua o te wa. Ki a au nei, kua tutuki ke etahi o nga moemoea, engari ara ano etahi, kaore ano kia oti noa.

Tenei te tu whakahiihii ki te taha o Whanau Ora. E orite ana a Whanau Ora ki te Kohanga Reo. I whai wahi te Kohanga Reo i te oranga tonutanga o te reo Maori, a, e pera ano hoki a Whanau Ora mo nga kaihapai, nga karahi, nga whanau, tae atu ki nga hapori e kaha tautoko nei i nga whanau, nga ainga kia tu rangatira i te ao.

Kaore au i te paku rata ki te whakaaro kia hoki ano tatou ki te ao kohatu.

Kua rongo nga taringa i nga akoranga otira nga tirohanga o tenei purongo tae atu ki tera o te Productivity Commission. I ruku hohonu nei te purongo o te Komihana hei tauira ki te motu. He painga o nga purongo e rua, mo nga mea hei whakatika, mo nga mea pai i roto i nga tau tata nei.

Kua rereke te Wahanga Tuarua. Kua tu ke nga Komihana Tuku Putea e toru tae atu ki te ropu tuitui o nga Minita me nga Kaiarahi o nga Iwi ara ko te hunga whakarite i nga huarahi o te Whanau Ora.

Mai i te timatanga o Whanau Ora, kua rongo au, kua kite au i nga painga mo nga whanau e eke nei ki nga taumata tiketike mo ratou, na nga mahi a nga kaiarahi e hikoi tahi nei me ratou, e arahi nei i nga whanau mena e tika ana kia eke nga whanau ki to ratou ake taumata.

Ko taku, he inoi tonu ki tena ki tena ki te ako i te whainga o Whanau Ora.

- mpwaiariki@parliament.govt.nz Phone 0508 924 274.

-Te Ururoa Flavell is the Waiariki MP and the co-leader of the Maori Party