Minister for Whānau Ora Tama Potaka took part in a launch for a new commissioning service, Māhutonga, provided by iwi Ngāti Toa, on Monday. Photo: RNZ / Samuel Rillstone
Four new agencies have been put in charge of determining how Whānau Ora resources are distributed to Māori and Pacific communities across the country.
It is the biggest shake up in the history of Whānau Ora since it was created by the late Dame Tariana Turia in 2010.
One of the new commissioning agencies was launched by Wellington iwi Ngāti Toa at Hongoeka Marae near Porirua this morning. The new commissioning agency which covers the eastern and southern part of the North Island is named Māhutonga, the Southern Cross.
Ngāti Toa descendant Te Pūoho Kātene will take up the role of chairman of the new Māhutonga Commissioning Agency.
The iwi chose the name Māhutonga because the Southern Cross is visible all across the region covered by the agency and so will always be there to guide their work, Kātene said.
"Often our services are treated as the ambulance at the bottom of the cliff, Māhutonga tells us to keep our eyes up and to be aspirational and to have those aspirational horizons set by the whānau who [we] are trying to serve," he said.
Te Pūoho Kātene, chair of the new Māhutonga Commissioning Agency. Photo: RNZ / Samuel Rillstone
The four new Whānau Ora commissioning agencies - Rangitāmiro, Te Rūnanga o Toa Rangatira (Māhutonga), Te Tauraki (a subsidiary of Te Rūnanga o Ngāi Tahu), and The Cause Collective (operating as The Tātou Collective) - will begin commissioning services from providers starting on Tuesday.
The three original Whānau Ora commissioning agencies - the Whānau Ora Commissioning Agency, Te Pūtahitanga o Te Waipounamu and Pasifika Futures - were informed by Te Puni Kōkiri (TPK) in early March their long-held contracts would not be renewed.
Minister for Whānau Ora Tama Potaka said the procurement process was timely as the original commissioning agencies had held the contracts for more than a decade.
"But we also need to see a bit of a step change in how we consider evidence around the delivery of Whānau Ora services and ensuring there is a really critical alignment between the investment of taxpayer funds, doing it in a very transparent improved audited way and the achievement of outcomes."
Some jobs at the old commissioning agencies may be impacted, but there won't be wider job losses among providers, he said.
"We absolutely back Whānau Ora, we think that a lot of the solutions reside in the communities."
Ngāti Toa's Te Rūnanga o Toa Rangatira deputy chief executive Jennie Smeaton said the iwi had been a Whānau Ora provider since its inception, so it was a natural progression to step into commissioning.
Te Rūnanga o Toa Rangatira deputy chief executive Jennie Smeaton Photo: RNZ / Samuel Rillstone
"We dream about the future of our tamariki, mokopuna and whānau living well, being well and being enabled to live as they choose to live and we've had these visions and kōrero for long time and this was our chance," Smeaton said.
"We knew we wouldn't have this opportunity [again] any time soon, so it was now or never and we thought we would put our best foot forward."
Smeaton said Ngāti Toa had been welcomed by the existing Whānau Ora provider network. The providers and communities have the solutions within their regions, so it's up to Ngāti Toa to support them, she said.
"Working with the existing provider network was really important for us to make sure there was continuity of care for whānau as we were phasing in Whānau Ora that we'd be delivering under Māhutonga, and we'll continue to do that for the next twelve months."
Smeaton said one thing they had heard from the providers was that the regions are best placed to determine what is best for their communities, and many of them just want to get on and do the mahi.
"They have the solutions within their rohe and we're there to tautoko (support) it.
"There's a real want and desire to be operating under the Whānau Ora banner."
Te Rūnanga o Toa Rangatira chief executive Helmut Modlik said the first thing they did once they got the contract was to tour the region and meet with the providers.
Te Rūnanga o Toa Rangatira chief executive Helmut Modlik and Māhutonga chairman Te Pūoho Kātene. Photo: RNZ / Samuel Rillstone
All provider contracts will carry over for the next twelve months and as the year rolls out they will take any opportunities to strengthen the service, he said.
"In the first twelve months for the sake of continuity and because we really didn't know enough to do any different there will effectively be a rolling over of all those who are currently providers in the Whānau Ora community."
Modlik said the iwi is aware of what it takes to deliver, thanks to their familiarity with the issues on the ground as a long term provider.
"We actually see this opportunity as one of doing ourselves out of a job, because we have a very firm belief that the long term benefits that everyone is after can only be achieved by building up the capability and capacity on the ground."
The four new commissioning agencies - two in the North Island, one in the South and one for Pasifika - take over from Tuesday.
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