May 19, 2023
Wider government pūtea eyed for Whānau Ora
The Minister of Whānau Ora, Peeni Henare, says Budget 2023 will help get whānau ora initiatives into more communities.
The Budget released yesterday promised $168.1 million dollars to the programme over the next four years.
That includes an $64 million increase in the Ngā Tini Whetu programme, which gives support to whānau with young pēpi.
Mr Henare says it’s an example of whānau ora providers working with government agencies – in this case Accident Compensation – to deliver more than they can do on their own.
“What we don’t want is government agencies all of a sudden saying they’re doing whānau ora when actually they are not. So whānau ora is there to serve communities. What we want to do is make sure government agencies recognise that and bring more money to the kaupapa,” he says.
Mr Henare says he’s looking across government at more agencies which need to find ways to partner with Whānau Ora.