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RNZ News
30-06-2025
- General
- RNZ News
Ngāti Toa launch new agency to distribute Whānau Ora funds
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. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero, a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
RNZ News
30-06-2025
- General
- RNZ News
Biggest shake up for Whānau Ora since its creation
te ao Maori 14 minutes ago Four new agencies have been put in charge of determining how Whānau Ora resources are districbuted to Maori communities across the country. It's the biggest shake up in the history of Whānau Ora since it was created by the 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. Pokere Paewai reports.
NZ Herald
20-05-2025
- General
- NZ Herald
‘Momentous moment': Pukupuku (little spotted kiwi) moved from Wellington to Hawke's Bay
Despite Cape Sanctuary already having more than 40 pukupuku, those birds were all related, which made for less genetic variation. Ledington said the translocation of kiwi from Zealandia would introduce new genetics to the Cape Sanctuary population. She said Zealandia was proud to be in a position to support other pukupuku populations in New Zealand – and during their time at Zealandia, the birds had inspired thousands of people to care about the rare species. The kiwi were carefully collected from Zealandia in accordance with Ngāti Toa and Taranaki Whānui tikanga, screened for diseases and fitted with locator transmitters. They were released into their new home that same day. Ngāti Toa Rangatira representative and Karori Sanctuary trust board chair, Russell Spratt, said translocations were conservation milestones that reinforced the cultural and spiritual connections between Ngāti Toa, Kāpiti Island and broader conservation efforts. He said Ngāti Toa Rangatira was proud of the role Kāpiti Island played in the revival of the bird from near extinction. Terese McLeod, Taranaki Whānui representative and Zealandia's lead ranger for bicultural engagement, said the birds played 'an honourable role for te taiao [the environment] across Aotearoa'. 'Taranaki Whānui are honoured to support and witness the whakakāinga anō [rehousing] of kiwi pukupuku from the sanctuary,' she said. Hariata Dawn Bennett, the cultural liaison for Cape Sanctuary, Ngāti Mihiroa, called it 'a momentous moment for Ngāti Mihiroa and the Cape Sanctuary'. 'It was the moemoea led by the late Hariata Te Ruru Akonga Mohi Baker to receive these kiwi pukupuku. We honour this dream and duty to devotedly care for these taonga.'
RNZ News
20-05-2025
- General
- RNZ News
'Momentous moment': Pukupuku moved from Wellington to Hawke's Bay
File image. Photo: Kimberley Collins Fifteen of the country's smallest kiwi have taken flight from Zealandia in Wellington, heading to Cape Sanctuary in Hawke's Bay, in an effort to grow the national population. The translocation marks the first time pukupuku have been moved between sanctuaries since their reintroduction to the mainland two decades ago, in a collaboration between Zealandia, local iwi, Cape Sanctuary, Kiwi Recovery and the Department of Conservation. Pukupuku disappeared from the mainland in the late 1800s, and just five birds remained on Kāpiti Island. Jo Ledington, Zealandia's general manager conservation and restoration, said all of the roughly 200 pukupuku at Zealandia had grown from the same group of five birds they had brought over from Kāpiti Island in the early 2000s. Despite Cape Sanctuary already having more than 40 pukupuku, those birds were all related, which made for less genetic variation. Ledington said the translocation of kiwi from Zealandia would introduce new genetics to the Cape Sanctuary population. She said Zealandia was proud to be in a position to support other pukupuku populations in New Zealand - and during their time at Zealandia, the birds had inspired thousands of people to care about the rare species. The kiwi were carefully collected from Zealandia in accordance with Ngāti Toa and Taranaki Whānui tikanga, screened for diseases, and fitted with locator transmitters. They were released into their new home that same day. Ngāti Toa Rangatira representative and Karori Sanctuary trust board chair, Russell Spratt, said translocations were conservation milestones which reinforced the cultural and spiritual connections between Ngāti Toa, Kāpiti Island, and broader conservation efforts. He said Ngati Toa Rangatira were proud of the role Kāpiti Island played in the revival of the bird from near extinction. Terese McLeod, Taranaki Whānui representative and Zealandia's lead ranger for bicultural engagement, said the birds played "an honourable role for Te Taiao across Aotearoa". "Taranaki Whānui are honoured to support and witness the whakakāinga anō of kiwi pukupuku from the sanctuary," she said. Hariata Dawn Bennett, the cultural liaison for Cape Sanctuary, Ngāti Mihiroa, called it "a momentous moment for Ngāti Mihiroa and the Cape Sanctuary". "It was the moemoea led by the late Hariata Te Ruru Akonga Mohi Baker to receive these kiwi pukupuku. We honour this dream and duty to devotedly care for these taonga."
