Radio New Zealand - Te Reo Irirangi o Aotearoa

Whanau Ora group defends spending scrutiny

Updated at 6:29 am on 29 December 2012

The Government-appointed group overseeing the delivery of Whanau Ora is defending how spending on the social welfare policy is monitored.

A recent report obtained by Radio New Zealand shows millions of dollars in funding is being handed out without its effectiveness being measured.

The chair of the Whanau Ora Governance Group, Sir Mason Durie, says it commissioned the evaluation to find out if the scheme is on the right track.

He says it shows funding mostly has been used effectively to help most of the families in Whanau Ora.

But Sir Mason notes that measuring outcomes in the social welfare area is relatively new territory because most Government programmes measure how much money has been spent, and how much work has been done.

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