16 Oct 2014

Call for more funding for Whanau Ora

6:47 pm on 16 October 2014

One of the new agencies assigned to provide Whanau Ora services, Te Pou Matakana, says the social programme is heading for a catastrophe if it does not receive more funding.

The former Minister for Whanau Ora, Tariana Turia, said the Ministry of Maori Development underspent two years in a row and the roll-out of Whanau Ora was very poor.

The chair of the new agency Te Pou Matakana, Willie Jackson, agrees. He said there was no excuse for that, especially when the three new commissioning agents had been given so little.

Mr Jackson said they had not even been able to secure money from Te Puni Kokiri for some of their key workers who could be out of their jobs in January.

Te Pou Matakana is in charge of giving out $43.2 million to Whanau Ora providers over four years and Mr Jackson said that was not enough.

He said whanau would not get the help they need.

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