More than 100 staff from the now-former Whānau Ora commissioning agency for the South Island returned to the place where it all started to bid farewell yesterday.
In March, Te Pūtahitanga o Te Waipounamu were notified their contract to distribute Whānau Ora funds would not be renewed. Instead, the Government awarded contracts to four new agencies following an open tender process, replacing Te Pūtahitanga o Te Waipounamu, and two others – Whānau Ora Commissioning Agency for the North Island, and Pasifika First.
Yesterday the agency held a poroporoaki, or farewell, for staff at Ngā Hau e Whā Marae in Christchurch, the place where the late Dame Tariana Turia, architect of Whānau Ora, introduced the programme to the community.
Sir Mark Solomon, chair of Te Pūtahitanga o Te Waipounamu, said he was deeply saddened by the closure of the agency, reflecting on the first Whānau Ora hui that led to its establishment.
“I attended a meeting here way back when Dame Tariana came to talk to us about Whānau Ora and the potential of the commissioning, and I stood up at that meeting in the end and said, ‘Tari, if I could get the nine tribes of Te Waipounamu together, could we put in a bid?’
“And, to be honest, Tariana gave a bit of a giggle and said, ‘Well Mark if you think you can get all the tribes to come together, I think that would be excellent’.”
It took two meetings to reach a unanimous decision for all nine iwi of Te Waipounamu to make a bid for the contract, he said.
“So I’m sad. I’m sad because, if we look at it, we call ourselves Te Pūtahitanga, ‘the convergence of all the rivers of Te Waipounamu’, but to me, it was the convergence of the nine iwi of Te Waipounamu, coming together, and I would argue, for the first time ever, all of the tribes of Te Waipounamu came together under a single kaupapa.”
Staff, whānau and supporters packed into the whare to listen to speeches and waiata.
Former Te Pāti Māori co-leader Te Ururoa Flavell paid tribute to Dame Tariana who died in January. He spoke of the struggle they went through to get it up and running, acknowledging the efforts made by others who were part of fleshing out Whānau Ora.
“Ehara i te mea i taka mai tēnei kaupapa nō te rangi, kāo. Nā te tohe. He tohe i te ata, he tohe i te pō.”
([Whānau Ora] didn’t just fall from the sky, no. It was fought for. Fought for day and night)
The Whānau Ora contract for the South Island was awarded to Te Tauraki Limited, a subsidiary of Te Rūnanga o Ngāi Tahu. They had people there attending yesterday’s farewell event.
Sir Mark said there was no ill will between the two agencies. He believes the programme is now a “different kaupapa” under the new structure, with a dramatic decrease in funding, a reduction in navigator roles and a different focus, and consequently, Te Tauraki will venture in a different direction.
“So, yes, we need to support them and their staff, and endeavours, but it’s going to be a big role for them, and to be honest, they’ve got big shoes to fill.”
Today a ceremony will take place to close the buildings that housed Te Pūtahitanga o Te Waipounamu.
