November 22, 2023
Whānau ora a tikanga, not a kaupapa
A Māori heath leader says whanau ora providers need to remind themselves they are part of a Māori initiative rather than just being Māori deliverers of government services.
Whānau ora providers from the northern North Island wind up a wananga in Kirikiroa today at which they have been sharing research and information on how to be more effective.
Lady Tureiti Moxon from Te Kohau Health says the sector has growing in capacity since the policy kicked off in 2010, even if it has meant challenging mainstream agencies to hand over resources and control.
It has developed a relatively young workforce of Māori who are committed to their identity and working with their communities.
“Lots of people use this word kaupapa Māori but in actual fact it’s tikanga Māori, that’s what we are. We live, breathe and are always pushing out the boundaries in terms of how we think about the world and reclaiming back what belongs to us, our own history, our own ways of doing,” she says.