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The chair of North Island Whanau Ora commissioning agency Te Pou Matakana says she’s brassed off no extra brass was on offer last weeks Budget.
Merepeka Raukawa-Tait says the $20 million boost the new Government promised last year seems to have been forgotten
She questions the commitment of Whanau Ora Minister Peeni Henare to Maori-led initiatives.
"Maori need to be grateful there is additional funding going in to health and education etc but when you see the additional amount, say $270 million, going to Oranga Tamariki to expand their services, I mean why would you put it into a government department for god’s sake? Mainstreaming is certainly on the agenda for this Government to bring us back into the fold. That will never serve Maori well," Ms Raukawa-Tait says.
Whanau Ora Minister Peeni Henare says future funding for whanau ora will depend on a current review of the programme.
He rejects criticism he wasn’t doing enough to champion the Maori-centric service delivery model.
While it may not have been a priority in the coalition’s first Budget, its time will come.
"We were very clear from the outset Whanau Ora was going to undertake a review and it wasn’t until that review is completed that I think Whanau Ora can achieve the potential we know it all can achieve," Mr Henare says.
He says many Maori aren’t connected to a marae or kura, and increased spending on health, housing and education will help them as well as the other people served by whanau ora providers.
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