$134m Whanau Ora funding just a start - Tamihere

PHIL REID/The Dominion Post

KICKSTART: Tariana Turia and John Key announce the $134.3 million package.

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The head of a major Maori social services provider says the $134million Whanau Ora funding is only a start and more cash will be needed to allow some areas to take part.

John Tamihere, chief executive of West Auckland's Waipareira Trust, which has more than 200 staff and $15m in contracts, welcomed the funding, but warned that it would not be enough to help fledgling organisations.

"I'm delighted the policy has been supported, and with a budget. The next question is, is the budget realistic enough? In some communities it will be, in other communities ... it might not be enough to tip the scale."

Yesterday Prime Minister John Key and Maori Party co-leader Tariana Turia announced a $134.3m four-year Budget package to kickstart Whanau Ora, which aims to streamline health and social services for the neediest families.

The cash will come mostly from unallocated funds in the Pathways to Partnership programme, set up by Labour to fully fund non-government groups providing social services.

The Budget funding includes $20m to research and evaluate Whanau Ora, with participating providers expected to show concrete results within two years.

The establishment phase will be monitored by Government ministers and departments, rather than an independent trust proposed by the Whanau Ora taskforce.

Mr Key and Mrs Turia were forced to defend the size of the package after suggestions that Whanau Ora could be worth up to $1 billion.

Mrs Turia said the funding was to build capacity and hire and train staff, while the billion-dollar figure related to the value of existing health and social services contracts expected to be under the scheme within four years.

About 20 providers with about $100m in existing contracts were likely in the first wave, to start later this year.

Labour deputy leader Annette King said the funding failed to live up to the "hype" about Whanau Ora.

"The Maori Party calls it the first wave of funding. I'd call it more of a trickle."

Mrs Turia said most of the $134.3m would be for start-up costs, such as hiring and training "Whanau Ora navigators" to work closely with needy families and identify links between various problems.

"It is a transformation of attitude as much as of a contractual arrangement."

Some Whanau Ora money could be set aside to pay for services where there were gaps.

Mr Key said Whanau Ora would address fragmentation in the provision of health and social services.

"I think of it as the five cars up a driveway problem, a situation where multiple government agencies are working with individual members of the family, but they're not doing it together and the family isn't having much say ..."

Whanau Ora was a recognisably Maori approach, but would be open to families of all ethnicities.