The Minister for Whanau Ora says he’s keen for whanau ora to be seen as a service delivery model for the whole community, not just Maori and Pacific Island families.
Peeni Henare attended last week’s symposium in Blenheim organised by South Island commissioning agency Te Putahitanga o Te Waipoiunamu where providers discussed their achievements and challenges.
He says the commissioning agency structure seems to give autonomy to the sector without some of the constraints of government funding systems which have been seen as less responsive to community need.
He doesn’t like it when people try to draw a distinction between whanau and family.
"As far as I’m concerned there is no whanau. It’s just whanau. So I don’t care whether they are Maori whanau, Pacific whanau, new migrants or Pakeha whanau, the beauty of whanau ora is it puts them at the centre. A lot of people think it is just for Maori people but I can tell you in my discussions with communities, the whanau-centred approach is the new buzz word for the sector and the Pakeha sector that is finally catching up with what Maori are doing," Mr Henare says.
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