Whanau Ora : Report of the Taskforce on Whanau-Centred Initiatives
Whanau Ora : Report of the Taskforce on Whanau-Centred Initiatives
Whanau Ora : Report of the Taskforce on Whanau-Centred Initiatives
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unemployment benefits, <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g>re was n<strong>on</strong>e<str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g>less expectati<strong>on</strong> that iwi<br />
would add value to those services and would c<strong>on</strong>tribute to <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> aspects<br />
<str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> whānau wellbeing that hinged <strong>on</strong> cultural affirmati<strong>on</strong>, participati<strong>on</strong><br />
in tribal ventures and heritage protecti<strong>on</strong>.<br />
vi. The range <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> organisati<strong>on</strong>s represented at <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> engagement hui<br />
c<strong>on</strong>firmed for <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> <str<strong>on</strong>g>Taskforce</str<strong>on</strong>g> that Whānau <str<strong>on</strong>g>Ora</str<strong>on</strong>g> transcends sectors.<br />
Because it is c<strong>on</strong>cerned with socio-ec<strong>on</strong>omic wellbeing, as well as<br />
cultural and envir<strong>on</strong>mental integrity, Whānau <str<strong>on</strong>g>Ora</str<strong>on</strong>g> cannot be fully<br />
addressed from <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> perspective <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> any single sector. Taxati<strong>on</strong> policies,<br />
for example, have str<strong>on</strong>g implicati<strong>on</strong>s for whānau wellbeing; <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> quality<br />
<str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> housing is an important determinant <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> whānau health; employment<br />
can <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g>fer whānau opportunities for financial independence; and being<br />
able to succeed to Māori land ensures a c<strong>on</strong>tinuing interest in a whānau<br />
estate. The <str<strong>on</strong>g>Taskforce</str<strong>on</strong>g> was repeatedly reminded that sectoral approaches<br />
have <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> potential to create fragmentati<strong>on</strong>, not <strong>on</strong>ly reducing <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g><br />
chances <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> good outcomes but also adding a high degree <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> c<strong>on</strong>fusi<strong>on</strong><br />
for whānau.<br />
4.2.3 In summary, based <strong>on</strong> <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> views expressed at engagement hui and in<br />
written submissi<strong>on</strong>s, <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> <str<strong>on</strong>g>Taskforce</str<strong>on</strong>g> has been able to identify six key<br />
characteristics <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> a Whānau <str<strong>on</strong>g>Ora</str<strong>on</strong>g> philosophy. Whānau <str<strong>on</strong>g>Ora</str<strong>on</strong>g> is distinctive<br />
because it recognises a collective entity, endorses a group capacity for<br />
self-determinati<strong>on</strong>, has an intergenerati<strong>on</strong>al dynamic, is built <strong>on</strong> a Māori<br />
cultural foundati<strong>on</strong>, asserts a positive role for whānau within society and<br />
can be applied across a wide range <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> social and ec<strong>on</strong>omic sectors. The<br />
<str<strong>on</strong>g>Taskforce</str<strong>on</strong>g> agrees that toge<str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g>r those characteristics give definiti<strong>on</strong> and<br />
distinctiveness to Whānau <str<strong>on</strong>g>Ora</str<strong>on</strong>g>.<br />
4.3 Whānau <str<strong>on</strong>g>Ora</str<strong>on</strong>g> as a Model <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> Practice<br />
4.3.1 A Whānau <str<strong>on</strong>g>Ora</str<strong>on</strong>g> approach to health and social services is not new.<br />
The <str<strong>on</strong>g>Taskforce</str<strong>on</strong>g> heard that community services have been well aware <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g><br />
collective needs <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> whānau for years but <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g>ir efforts to meet <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g>m have<br />
<str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g>ten been c<strong>on</strong>strained by narrowly c<strong>on</strong>structed sectoral boundaries.<br />
N<strong>on</strong>e<str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g>less, many practiti<strong>on</strong>ers described how <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g>y had intuitively<br />
embraced <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> Whānau <str<strong>on</strong>g>Ora</str<strong>on</strong>g> philosophy and had been able to incorporate<br />
holistic approaches in <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g>ir day-to-day practices, even without recogniti<strong>on</strong><br />
or appropriate remunerati<strong>on</strong>. Many practiti<strong>on</strong>ers were acutely mindful <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g><br />
futility <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> interventi<strong>on</strong>s with individuals that took little account <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> whānau.<br />
They recounted numerous incidents where crises affecting individuals were<br />
closely c<strong>on</strong>nected to whānau functi<strong>on</strong>ing but for a number <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> reas<strong>on</strong>s no<br />
effort was made to address those wider family c<strong>on</strong>cerns.<br />
4.3.2 A number <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> community practiti<strong>on</strong>ers explained to <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> <str<strong>on</strong>g>Taskforce</str<strong>on</strong>g> that <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g>y<br />
regarded a Whānau <str<strong>on</strong>g>Ora</str<strong>on</strong>g> approach as <strong>on</strong>e that was driven by <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> aspirati<strong>on</strong>s,<br />
needs and realities <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> whānau as a whole, ra<str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g>r than by <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> interests <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g><br />
an agency that might be c<strong>on</strong>cerned <strong>on</strong>ly with <strong>on</strong>e or two aspects <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g><br />
whānau. A preference for holistic interventi<strong>on</strong>s is c<strong>on</strong>sistent with a<br />
whānau-centred practice model ins<str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g>ar as it is built around group needs<br />
and objectives ra<str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g>r than solely around <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> needs <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> individuals.<br />
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