November 05, 2014
New Maori minister takes road trip
New Maori Development Minister Te Ururoa Flavell is taking to the roads as he gets to grips with his new responsibilities.
He has scheduled a series of regional visits, starting at Gisborne’s Te Poho o Rawiri Marae on Sunday night.
He says the Hui Whakahononga-a-Rohe or regional open forum are open to everyone who has an interest in Maori development, and they will be supplemented by other more targeted meetings.
He plans to meet Te Puni Kokiri staff in each region.
"I also recognise Whanau Ora is an important component of my portfolio so I will be going round touching base with providers and I want to hear the stories from those people who have been touched by Whanau Ora because I want to make sure it is ticking over and doing the things we said it would do," Mr Flavell says.
He will also have breakfast meetings with Maori business groups around the country so he can get a feel for what they need on the economic development front.
You can find more details about the hui on the Te Puni Kokiri website at www.tpk.govt.nz/en/rauika/
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