February 25, 2019
Taking "Whānau Ora" to the nation in "We Dream"
Taking Whānau Ora to the nation in “We Dream”
Media Release
North Island Whānau Ora Commissioning Agency released a national campaign today entitled ‘We Dream’ which is receiving wide support from well-known New Zealand personalities – Black Fern Ruby Tui, Former All Black Israel Dagg, his wife Daisy, All Black Patrick Tuipulotu, Silver Fern Phoenix Karaka, TV Presenter Stacey Morrison, The Cougar Boys and Hurricane star Vince Aso.
Delivered in the format of a compelling short film, We Dream highlights real-life challenges faced by New Zealand whānau in housing, poverty, education, employment and gaining opportunities for sustainable change.
The storyline is narrated by Whānau Ora’s own Navigators – the frontline people that work directly with whānau to navigate and wrap the necessary services around them. Navigators assist families in identifying goals, preparing and planning to improve their lives, ultimately creating hope and the ‘space to dream’.
“Many whānau face a daily struggle for the basic necessities. This kind of struggle leaves little room to plan for improvement and take action toward eventual self-reliance.
Whānau Ora values families and supports them to grow their strengths, it does not view them as problems that need fixing. This is fundamental to the approach we take”, says Whānau Ora Commissioning Chairperson Merepeka Raukawa-Tait.
“Navigators are not encouraged to be directive around solutions. They work together with whānau to create a roadmap for their future and help whānau to realise their strengths and determine their own pathways to success. The outcome being, that whānau become self-sufficient.”
The Whānau Ora (family well-being) policy, was adopted in 2010 because standard delivery of social and health services was not working and outcomes, particularly for Māori and Pasifika whānau, were not improving.
The Whānau Ora policy looks to increase the well-being of individuals in the context of their whānau and so differs from traditional social and health models that focus solely on the needs of the individual in more institutional environments.
In 2014 Whānau Ora implementation was devolved to three non-government Commissioning Agencies:
Whānau Ora Commissioning (formerly Te Pou Matakana) work with whānau in the North Island.
Te Putahitanga o Te Waipounamu work with whānau in the South Island.
Pasifika Futures is dedicated to working with Pacific Island families across Aotearoa.
Free from bureaucratic constraints, the Commissioning Agencies invest directly in communities – this means funding decisions are made closer to communities and allows for flexible and innovative approaches to meet the needs and aspirations of whānau.
The goal of We Dream is to bring Whānau Ora into the consciousness of mainstream New Zealand and raise awareness and understanding of the vital role Whānau Ora plays today.
"Growing up, we certainly had some tough situations and challenges thrown at us.” said Whānau Ora Ambassador and Black Fern, Ruby Tui.
“It's great to know that now and in the future, Kiwis have the opportunity to work with talented people like those who work within Whānau Ora, to create a better life for themselves."
Although Whānau Ora support is available to all New Zealand families, currently those with multiple and complex needs are prioritised.
Copyright © 2019, UMA Broadcasting Ltd: www.waateanews.com