8 Sep 2015

Scheme would benefit from 'whole-of-govt' approach

6:52 am on 8 September 2015

A report on Whānau Ora shows its roll-out has been variable and there has been a lack of money funding in some areas, a Māori health advocate says.

Sir Mason Durie

Sir Mason Durie Photo: SUPPLIED

Sir Mason said that while Whānau Ora was "by-and-large" meeting its goals, there was still no integrated whole-of-Government approach - which was needed urgently.

The report also found that inefficient funding and contracting structures made some change difficult - and Sir Mason Durie agreed.

"That's fair comment. It's been easier for community groups to collaborate than for different departments in the ministry to collaborate and yet this is a whole of government programme - should be - and that really creates an onus for government departments to be able to work together to get a common vision and a common agenda that will produce benefits to whānau."

Sir Mason said a lack of Government framework meant the different sectors that could be collaborating on the Whānau Ora initiative - social, economic, cultural and environmental - continued to work in silos.

"What hasn't come through as strong is how Government can develop a framework that would facilitate integrated development."

He said more urgency was needed to address the issue.

"It's about 50-years-old, the urgency. We can get locked into sectors - people don't live their lives in sectors," he said.