The head of North Island whānau ora commissioning agency Te Pou Matakana wants to see the initiative’s budget more than doubled in this year’s so called wellbeing Budget.

Merepeka Raukawa Tait says whānau ora has been found to be effective by the government’s own review panel, and providers are now coming under pressure as mainstream agencies poach their staff.

She says the kaupapa has achieved a huge amount on $44 million, and she want to see that boosted to $100 million plus so it can retain staff and expand.

"You know I’m not talking peanuts. We've got by on peanuts over the last few years and for those peanuts we've had to jump through hoops, and be audited so many times. We've got good structures in place, we've got credible providers up and down the country and we expect to be resourced to bring about the well being gains that the Prime Minister is wanting," Ms Raukawa Tait says.

The Government can’t expect a leap in outcomes unless it resources those doing the hard yards, which in the social services is whānau ora.

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