Hon Tariana Turia
Associate Minister of Health
Minister Responsible for Whanau Ora
Poutiri Trust Maori Development Organisation - 13th Annual Provider Awards 2011
Pohutu Cultural Theatre, Whakarewarewa, Rotorua
Saturday 5 November 2011, 5pm Speech
Delivered by Te Ururoa Flavell, MP for Waiariki on behalf of Minister Turia
I am delighted to be here tonight at these 13th Annual Provider Awards to acknowledge and celebrate each and every one
of the network that comes together under the kaupapa of the Poutiri Trust.
I want to firstly acknowledge the Poutiri Trust chairperson; George Skudder for the invitation to be here tonight; and
to also pay tribute to our special guest speaker, Reverend Tom Poata from St Faiths.
The Poutiri Trust is founded on the vision of these words:
Ko whānau ora te pūtake o te hauora Māori
It is a worthy vision; a statement of faith in our whanau as the source of our greatest inspiration.
And so it is this vision that I want to focus my korero on tonight.
While we gather here tonight, not far from here at Te Takinga Marae, the national Te Ataarangi Hui Whanui is taking
place.
Te Ataarangi is driven by a passion for the revitalization of our language. It is a movement which for over thirty years
has been working relentlessly to encourage our whanau to korero i te reo – in their homes, in their communities.
They know that it takes only one generation to lose a language, and at least three generations to restore that language;
to enable the language to thrive.
It seems to me tonight, that we are at one of those moments in our life journey, when all roads turn to home.
Whether it is the retention and resurgence of our reo; the aspirations and ambitions of all the hauora providers
encompassed within Poutiri; or indeed, any of the priorities that matter in the pathway of Maori development; the focus
is whanau.
Whanau Ora, quite simply, is about an orientation on outcomes – outcomes that express the power and potential of our
whanau to be the best that they can be.
The outcomes I am thinking about are tangible, meaningful expressions of our wellbeing : our whanau being self-managing;
living healthy lifestyles; participating fully in our communities; economically secure; successfully involved in wealth
creation. Our whanau being cohesive, resilient and nurturing.
I said before, that this moment in time represented an epiphany of sorts – many routes leading us home.
And so it seems absolutely appropriate in the celebrations we have tonight, to take a minute to acknowledge someone who
has been so closely associated with innovation, with transformation and with leadership of Whanau Ora : Professor Mason
Durie of Rangitāne, Ngāti Kauwhata and Ngāti Raukawa.
In his latest book, Ngā Tini Whetū: Navigating Māori Futures, Mason lays open a simple prescription for our future: we either go charging full steam ahead into an unknown future;
or we take control of our future; for the well-being of our mokopuna and our mokopuna yet to be born.
Everyone here tonight, has already made that choice - to protect, preserve and promote the potential for all our whanau
to be strong, to be secure, to be successful.
This evening is a celebration of your choice to believe that our whanau are worth investing in; that their wellbeing
should be paramount.
So how do we take charge of our future; how can we be self-determining? What are the pathways which enable us to truly
determine our destiny? What will be the lifeskills we must all acquire to survive and thrive in a rapidly changing
world; a world that is increasingly complex?
It requires a transformation. But the transformation is not just grounded from a basis of optimism – it is pragmatic, it
is meaningful to each whanau, and it is firmly driven by outcomes.
I want to acknowledge the leadership that is being driven in this region by Te Awanui Hauora Trust; Huria Management
Trust; Ngai Te Ahi Ngati He Hauora; Te Puna Ora o Mataatua and Te Ika Whenua. Each of these providers is working with
whanau through the Whanau Innovation, Integration and Engagement Fund – because whanau themselves have chosen to work with you.
And already that is a new definition of leadership – this is the expression of transformation in our midst.
Because our whanau are backing themselves first; and then looking for providers for support and guidance when needed.
I know that there will be always questions around which providers have not been contracted in the first and second
waves; but my interest remains the same that it has always been - how we can all participate in Whanau Ora, no matter
the constraints or circumstances upon us.
Because the important thing for us all to remember is that all of us come from whanau; all of us have the opportunity to
focus on Whanau Ora whether it be at home or work; it is us.
My vision is that Whanau Ora becomes synonymous with transformation and innovation – and ownership from all of our
whanau of the potential within them.
In other words I want the model to grow, expand and continue to be sustainable.
That will require us all to believe in Whanau Ora – in its ongoing evolution; in its potential for whanau to engage with
each other.
I want to see Whanau Ora rolled out right across Government. We all understand the interconnectedness of health,
education, justice, housing, employment, economic development, cultural integrity, and social development as elements of
whanau wellbeing.
I am driven by the same motivations that I believe underpin everything you have achieved here at Poutiri; the success of
Te Ataarangi movement; the momentum of the Maori Party – and that is our survival.
This is about all of us – whanau, providers, government agencies, political parties, marae, hapu, iwi – all of us
working together for one purpose : to build whanau capability, strengthen whanau connections and inspire whanau
leadership.
Whanau Ora has been so enthusiastically embraced by our communities, health and social service providers, and most of
all our whanau right throughout the motu.
Everyone has a different idea of Whanau Ora and how their whanau will achieve that.
Whanau want to control their own future in a myriad of ways. They want more cultural development; they want to get
closer to their kuia and kaumatua; to learn from their wisdom and example. They place a high value on education.
They want to be economically sustainable, healthy, self-reliant and strongly connected.
And they want things which are very simple – like warm homes, have enough food to feed their own families, a job, to be
violence free. That is wellbeing for them. That is Whanau Ora.
Whanau Ora is our greatest opportunity yet to value the very essence from which we come.
I want to thank you all for the difference you are making to all of the whanau who look to you for support.
We indeed have every reason to celebrate.
Tena tatou katoa.
Authorised by Tariana Turia, Parliament Buildings,Wellington
________________________________________