February 07, 2020
Signs of thaw in iwi Forum outreach
Whānau Ora Minister Peeni Henare is expecting a positive encounter with the Iwi Chairs Forum in Waitangi next week.
The chairs have struggled to gain the sort of traction they had with the previous Government, with Labour seeking out other sources of advice on Māori issues,
But Mr Henare says ministers have continued to work with iwi chairs.
"It got off to a wee bit of a rough start but my understanding is that it's at least headed in the right direction. There will be some sticky topics no doubt – water, whanau ora and a few other things but the Prime Minister maintains a strong relationship with many of those on the iwi chairs forum and it is just another opportunity for us to sit down and our people to hold the Government to account," he says.
A Māori-led review of Oranga Tamariki is set to release its report to the forum.
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