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The South Island Whanau Ora commissioning agency, Te Putahitanga o Te Waipounamu, has welcomed the creation of a covenant for the nation’s children.
The covenant has been developed by a group including former youth court judge Carolyn Henwood and Ngai Tahu leader Sir Mark Solomon.
Chief executive Helen Leahy says it’s in line with the vision of whanau being developed by the nine iwi of Te Waipounamu.
She says rather than being stuck on words such as vulnerable, needy or deprived, the covenant picks up on the positive messages of whanau ora.
"When every child is born they are precious, they are our treasure, they are our inheritance. How do we promote those types of goals and aspirations that we can look in the eyes of every baby and know we are going to do the very best for you. That's what this pledge does for us, it says we want every child to grow strong and tall and proud of who they are and be able to take advantage of the opportunities," Ms Leahy says.
She says whanau can achieve remarkable things if they believe in themselves.
Copyright © 2016, UMA Broadcasting Ltd: www.waateanews.com
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