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Former Whanau Ora minister Tariana Turia believes her successor has dropped the ball over a new fund for Maori housing.
About $20 million held by the Housing Ministry was supposed to go to community projects through the North Island Whanau Ora commissioning agency Te Pou Matakana, but Te Ururoa Flavell directed it be managed by his ministry, Te Puni Kokiri.
Mrs Turia says one of the main reasons for setting up the new model was to get resources into the hands of communities, rather than have the state prescribe how it should be spent.
"This was an opportunity for us to take back not only control and authority but take back our rights and responsibilities to do for ourselves. Now you can't do that if you're a state agency because you dictate the terms," she says.
Tariana Turia says community agencies are better off when they get funding from the philanthropic sector, which expects outcomes rather than prescribing how and where the money should be spent.
FOR THE FULL INTERVIEW WITH DAME TARIANA TURIA CLICK ON THE LINK
https://secure.zeald.com/uma/play_podcast?podlink=MjcyMzc=
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