Communities across Te Waipounamu will come together this weekend to celebrate 10 years of Whānau Ora, a ground-breaking approach to whānau well-being.

On July 26, 2014, at six locations across Te Waipounamu, Te Pūtahitanga o Te Waipounamu, the Whānau Ora Commissioning Agency for the South Island, was launched in a historic partnership between the nine iwi of Te Waipounamu.

Ten years on, there is still much to celebrate, says Pouārahi of Te Pūtahitanga o Te Waipounamu, Ivy Harper.

“The growth and impact we have seen has been beyond expectations,” says Harper. “From the start, the resounding message to whānau and communities was ‘we want to back you to shine’ and shine they have.”

Today, the network of Whānau Ora partners and entities in Te Waipounamu is extensive and includes whānau, hapū, iwi, marae, hapori Māori, health and social services and business. As well as supporting 156 Whānau Ora Navigators and 20 Connectors alongside 80 partners, Te Pūtahitanga also oversees 14 direct funding workstreams, including the popular WAVE funding model, which has nurtured 486 unique entities and kaupapa within the South Island, Rakiura Stewart Island and Rēkohu/Wharekauri, the Chatham Islands, over the past decade.

“We acknowledge there is still work to be done,” says Harper, “but today, we are so proud. Proud of the whānau, hapū and iwi, our partners, all those who have led kaupapa that have created real change in their hāpori, who represent the essence of Whānau Ora. I also think about the leadership of the iwi of Te Waipounamu, both back then in 2014 when they had the vision to come together for all whānau, and also now, as we navigate more uncertain times. Without their leadership, we would certainly be in a different place today.”

Over the years, regular reviews and evaluations have backed up the southern agency’s commissioning model, which is unique in its approach.

The most recent evaluation of the Wave funding, released in September 2023, found the returns had seen whānau shift from state dependency and subsistence living towards financial independence and wealth creation. Even the minimum impact provided an economic benefit of $2.40 for every $1 invested. Additionally, whānau who participated in Wave 16 initiatives reported higher life satisfaction than the general Māori population.

Hina-i-te-māra Moses-Te Kani, Co-Chairperson of Te Taumata, the iwi shareholder council of Te Pūtahitanga o Te Waipounamu, says prior to 2014, the nine iwi had not worked together outside of fisheries; the Crown’s combative Te Tiriti o Waitangi settlement process had left iwi in the south divided, she said.

“The creation of Te Pūtahitanga in 2014 was a great opportunity to look forward and grow our kotahitanga, and the results 10 years later speak for themselves. It’s proof of what can be achieved, firstly, when we are fully grounded in te ao Māori and, secondly, when we work together for all whānau.”

Moses-Te Kani said from the beginning of the partnership there was a clear focus on developing a commissioning model under which whānau could realise their own dreams.

“We wanted to support whānau on their own terms rather than focus on what Crown agencies thought might be broken with us,” says Moses-Te Kani. “We are really clear we are not an organisation there to simply replicate what government agencies are doing.”

Navigator roles were on the radar right from the start. “Once the model was proven and embraced by communities, it just grew and grew, backed by the magic of aunties and uncles all over the South Island and their belief that everyone has a dream and that with the right awhi, we can stand on our own mana motuhake and achieve great things.”

In 2016, 16 full-time equivalent Whānau Ora Navigators were dotted throughout the South Island. By 2017, 42 navigators supported a total of 780 whānau. By 2024, 156 navigators supported nearly 6200 whānau.

“When the Hon Dame Tariana Turia, the founder of Whānau Ora and the first Whānau Ora Minister, pushed the National Government in 2010 to get Whānau Ora over the line, she challenged us all to achieve great things,” said Moses-Te Kani. “In the past decade, whānau and communities in Te Waipounamu have done just that, and we are looking forward to celebrating this milestone with them.”

To commemorate 10 years and acknowledge all the whānau, hapū, iwi, hapori Māori, partners and the wider community who lie at the heart of Whānau Ora, Te Pūtahitanga o Te Waipounamu is supporting a series of regionally led Whānau Day celebrations. The first was held at Ngā Hau E Whā National Marae in Christchurch last weekend (July 20). Events follow in Nelson (Whakatū Marae), Blenheim (Omaka Marae), Hokitika, Dunedin (Kōkiri Training Centre), and Invercargill (Murihiku Marae) this Saturday, July 27.

ENDS