New Whānau Ora commissioning agencies were launched this week. The Minister of Maori Development, Tama Potaka joined Dale husband for a korero – but before we did the Minister talked about Tarsh Kemp. In an earlie statement the Minister said:
“… we acknowledge and celebrate the success of Whānau Ora and the great legacy of the late Kahurangi (Dame) Tariana Turia, which will be carried forward by the new commissioning agencies from tomorrow.”
“Since National helped launch Whānau Ora in 2010, the model has become a trusted foundation for whanau-centred services. It’s now time to further strengthen that foundation with a focused plan to better meet whānau needs as well as a more robust data framework to support ongoing improvement.
“National backed a bright future for Whānau Ora in last year’s Budget by providing a $179 million investment for this 2025/26 year and out years. Starting tomorrow, funding for the four new commissioning agencies will be clearly allocated to regions of greatest need based on the Census 2023 Deprivation Index.” Said the Minister.
Among the key changes:
- Direct contracting with mainstream service providers: Rather than routing most funding through commissioning agencies like Te Pou Matakana and Te Pūtahitanga o Te Waipounamu, the Government plans to contract directly with health and social service organisations, including mainstream NGOs.
- Revised performance measurement system: A new system will require more data reporting and outcomes tracking, with less emphasis on whānau-defined success measures.
- Reduced budget forecast: Budget 2025 shows a gradual reduction in baseline funding for Whānau Ora over the next three years, with some of the funding redirected to targeted mental health, housing, and youth support initiatives.
Māori Party co-leader Debbie Ngarewa-Packer has called the changes a “rollback of Māori self-determination” and warned that the dismantling of Whānau Ora’s unique commissioning model will have long-term consequences.
“Whānau Ora works because it is by Māori, for Māori. It empowers whānau to decide what success looks like, not a government department. This move represents another attack on tino rangatiratanga.”
Community-based providers across Aotearoa say they are already feeling the impact, with some experiencing delays in contract renewals and uncertainty over long-term funding. In Rotorua, a regional Whānau Ora provider told Radio Waatea that they had been “left in the dark” about whether key services – including food security and family violence prevention programmes – will be funded beyond October.
Whānau Ora Commissioning Agency chair Merepeka Raukawa-Tait said the current model had proven its value during crises like COVID-19 and Cyclone Gabrielle, when providers were able to respond swiftly and in culturally appropriate ways.
“This is not about bureaucracy. This is about lived experience, whakapapa, and trust built over generations. You don’t replace that with spreadsheets.”
The debate over the future of Whānau Ora is likely to intensify in the coming months, with providers signalling potential legal challenges, and iwi leaders expected to raise the issue directly with the Government at the next Iwi Chairs Forum.
For many Māori communities, Whānau Ora has been more than a programme – it’s been a movement. Whether that movement survives intact under a changing political climate remains to be seen.
