CYF must adopt a Whanau Ora approach
The chair of the North Island Whanau Ora Commissioning Agency says CYF must adopt a Whanau Ora approach when working
with children and young people.
“Whanau focused solutions are integral to good outcomes for tamariki and rangatahi,” says Merepeka Raukawa-Tait in
response to the Children’s Commissioner’s report on Child, Youth and Family released today.
“This is another report that confirms yet again that the status quo does not work, and that is why we need Whanau Ora to
better support our tamariki mokopuna.”
“Government agencies continue their same old approach that achieves very little. It is now time to resource communities
adequately to look after communities,” says Ms Raukawa-Tait.
Whanau Ora shifts the focus from individuals to collectives, from sectorial interventions to inter- sectorial
collaboration, and from crisis intervention to capability building.
As a non-government organisation, Te Pou Matakana works with providers to meet the needs, interests and aspirations of
their whanau and communities.
“We know that Whanau Ora is working for families because it empowers whanau to transform their own futures by taking
control of their lives.”
“CYF must adopt a Whanau Ora approach that recognizes that there is no one size fits all approach,” said Ms
Raukawa-Tait.
Merepeka Raukawa-Tait is the former Chief Executive of the Women’s Refuge and continues to advocate strongly for women
and children to live in violence free homes.
“For the sake of our tamariki mokopuna, we all must do better,” says Ms Raukawa-Tait.
Te Pou Matakana is the North Island Whanau Ora Commissioning Agency and works with whanau and providers to support
whanau aspirations.
ENDS