Concern over selected leadership of North Island Whānau Ora

A new branch of the National Urban Māori Authority (NUMA), Te Pou Matakana, has been granted leadership of Whānau Ora in the North Island.

Whānau Ora distributes funding for health and social services at the community level, with a primary focus on Māori. Three commissioning agencies for the North Island, South Island and Pasefika will take over responsibility from Te Puni Kōkiri to contract out services, including setting policies and distributing funding.

NUMA is chaired by Willie Jackson and led by CEO John Tamihere. Te Pou Matakana, also chaired by Willie Jackson, successfully outbid four other applications for the leadership, including a bid from the Iwi Leaders' Forum. The bid was led by John Tamihere, who is also CEO of Waipareira Trust in West Auckland, part of the NUMA collective.

Whānau Ora Minister Tariana Turia said concerns had been expressed over Jackson's role in successfully leading a family wellbeing programme following Jackson and Tamihere being taken off Radio Live over their comments about sexual violence in late 2013. In an interview on Radio New Zealand, Te Whakaruruhau Māori Women's Refuge Services Manager Ruahine Albert said she wanted to know exactly what Tamihere and Jackson did to address their comments. She said the public is entitled to know why an organisation headed by Jackson should be given leadership of Whānau Ora in the North Island, and the public was likely to be less trusting of NUMA due to the comments made by Jackson and Tamihere. Minister Turia said the organisation had passed a "stringent process."

All three commissioning agencies have now been confirmed: Te Pou Matakana for North Island whānau, Te Pūtahitanga o Te Waipounamu for South Island whānau and Pasifika Futures for Pasifika families. Te Pou Matakana has 90 days to set up, including the appointment of a CEO and formulating ways to deliver Whānau Ora.