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New Zealand First leader Winston Peters says Whanau Ora is being used to encourage a romantic vision of tribalism that is at odds with reality.
He says the new model for delivery of government services to Maori is based on gossip and anecdote rather than a scientific assessment of people’s needs.
Mr Peters says minister Tariana Turia is favouring iwi groups in the latest move to let non-government organisations say what should be funded.
"A whole lot of pan Maori organisations are going to be swept aside again in favour of what you might call tribalism or the Iwi and that is really a let back to medieval days or pre-european days where a tribe ran everything. Now we dont live in that tribal social circumstance we live in tribal areas but theres such a sweep of inter marriage and what have you, that the whole circumstance has changed. But she is seeking for romantic ideas to take a giant leap backwards and somehow say this is good for Maori," he says.
Mr Peters says Maori want a decent house, an affordable health system, good education for their children, and a first world job with first world wages.
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