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A south Auckland social worker says a new Social Investment Board is a deliberate snub to Whanau Ora.
State Services Minister Paula Bennett says the board, which brings together 10 government agencies, will focus on almost 1500 at-risk 0-to-5 year-old children and their families in Mangere.
Veronica Henare, the Whanau Ora, Manager for the Manukau Urban Maori Authority, says it’s a whole of government approach that leaves out community agencies that are already working with those families.
"Our people are tired of this. Having someone in the driveway from Work and Income, Housing NZ, Child Youth and Family, Police. We tried all that 15-20 years ago so what makes Minister Bennett believe that that is going to change now, that things are different because they're not, in fact numbers are increasing," she says.
Veronica Henare says Whanau Ora was supposed to be a community-driven alternative to the top-down government approach, but from its inception mainstream agencies and ministers have tried to undermine it.
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