May 05, 2022
Seven years of Whānau Ora a privilege
It’s the last day at Te Pūtahitanga o Te Waipounamu for chief executive Helen Leahy after seven years at the helm of the South Island Whānau Ora Commissioning Agency.
Ms Leahy has been involved in the kaupapa since its earliest days, working in the office of then-associate health minister Dame Tariana Turia during the development of the Māori health strategy He Korowai Oranga and eventually Whānau Ora.
The former social worker has also been part of the Māori design team for Oranga Tamariki, the South Island Hauora Alliance. the National Disability Supports System Transformation Working Group and the Ministry of Health’s COVID-19 Māori Monitoring Group.
She is proud of how providers have done to help whānau realise their own dreams and aspirations.
“All of the whānau across the motu have seen their potential realised simply because we placed faith in them. That’s the simple secret to Whānau Ora. We know whānau have the answer and we invest in them to determine a pathway that is going to make the best pathway for them and their mokopuna to inherit. What an amazing privilege to be part of this journey,” Ms Leahy says.
She is moving to Ruapehu with her whānau.