March 12, 2024
Iwi takes call centre role from Oranga Tamariki
A ground breaking call centre with a unique tikanga and community focus has gone live in Whakatane.
Te Pūkāea o te Waiora chief executive Enid Pryor says the centre is the culmination of a vision articulated by Ngāi Tūhoe leader and public sercant John Rangihau more than 30 years ago,
It’s tasked with taking a key function from Oranga Tamariki and being the first place for people to report concerns or seek help.
“So rather than reports of concern going through the national call centre of Oranga Tamariki, all reports will go through the new Te Pūkāea system which is directly into the community, directly into the iwi,” Ms Pryor says.
Centre staff have been trained to make the assessment needed to start giving additional support sif needed.