Tariana Turia, the minister responsible for the Whanau Ora social services policy, says it won't be a quick fix to family problems.
Whanau Ora involves a key person co-ordinating with a disadvantaged family so the family can identify problems and opportunities for change.
Ms Turia told the Social Services Select Committee on Wednesday that the sector has been revitalised and 56 collectives have bid for funding for the programme.
Ms Turia said funding for research of Whanau Ora means successful bidders will be trained to collect data so the outcomes of the programme can be measured.
She expects it will be possible to see some progress after a year, but it may take a generation for changes to be made among some families.
