A new organisation has been set up and charged with enhancing the social, cultural and economic development of Maori living in Dunedin and South Otago by providing access to a wide range of services.
The seven Maori service providers from Dunedin and South Otago, which joined to form He Waka o Araiteuru, have applied to the Ministry of Maori Development (Te Puni Kokiri) for a Whanau Ora contract.
He Waka o Araiteuru spokeswoman Dolly Ngapo-Hill, a Whanau Ora worker from Tokomairiro Waiora Inc, Milton, said Whanau Ora provided community-based support so families could determine their economic, cultural and social development.
The groups that formed He Waka o Araiteuru had provided services to Maori in Dunedin and South Otago individually, and had decades of experience working with families.
The new deal brought together a mix of clinical, social, rural, educational, justice and economic services to provide options allowing whanau to choose which services were most appropriate for them, she said.
In May, Whanau Ora Minister Tariana Turia announced $134.3 million had been made available over four years for implementing Whanau Ora, which would see families "less reliant on State agencies, and agencies acting as a facilitator, rather than a fixer".
The group expected to hear in about a month if it had been successful.
