Whānau Ora is a distinctly New Zealand approach to improving the wellbeing of Māori and Pacific whānau by placing whānau at the centre of their own development. Rather than delivering services to individuals through separate government agencies, Whānau Ora works with whānau as a unit — supporting them to identify their own aspirations and access the services they need to achieve them. For grantmakers and commissioners, understanding Whānau Ora is essential for funding in the Māori and Pacific health and social services space.
Whānau Ora was established as New Zealand government policy under the Māori Party's confidence and supply agreement with the National Government in 2008, and formally launched in 2010. It represents a significant departure from conventional government service delivery.
The conventional model: government agencies define services, contract providers to deliver them, and individuals access those services separately (health from DHBs, housing from Housing NZ, employment from Work and Income, education from schools and tertiary institutions).
The Whānau Ora model: a Whānau Ora Navigator works with whānau as a whole unit, helps them identify what they want to achieve, and connects them to services and support across sectors. The whānau drives the plan; the Navigator facilitates access.
Three commissioning agencies — Te Pou Matakana (for Māori in the North Island), Te Pūtahitanga o Te Waipounamu (for Māori in the South Island), and Pasifika Futures (for Pacific peoples nationally) — receive government funding to commission Whānau Ora providers.
Government Whānau Ora funding flows through the three commissioning agencies to Whānau Ora providers. This is the primary funding stream and is specifically structured around the Whānau Ora model.
Community trusts and gaming trusts fund complementary Whānau Ora-aligned work — kaupapa Māori social services, whānau development programmes, and community wellbeing initiatives that reflect Whānau Ora principles even if they don't use that terminology.
Iwi social services fund whānau-centred work within their rohe, often aligned with Whānau Ora approaches even if separately funded.
Ministry of Social Development contracts for social services that overlap with Whānau Ora, including family wellbeing services and community group programmes.
Navigator services: The core Whānau Ora service — Navigators who work alongside whānau, build relationships, help develop whānau plans, and connect whānau to services. Navigator roles require cultural competency, knowledge of available services, and genuine relationship skills.
Whānau development programmes: Structured programmes that support whānau to develop capability in areas they identify as priorities — financial management, parenting, health literacy, employment, housing stability.
Kaupapa Māori services: Health, social, education, and economic development services delivered in a kaupapa Māori way, recognising that many whānau are best served by Māori-led organisations using Māori frameworks.
Collective impact initiatives: Community-wide initiatives that shift conditions for whānau — housing developments, community gardens, employment programmes, marae development — that create environments where whānau can thrive.
Capacity building for providers: Supporting Whānau Ora provider organisations to develop their capability — governance, staff development, data systems, cultural infrastructure.
Whether formally operating within the Whānau Ora commissioning structure or simply drawing on its philosophy, grantmakers working with Māori and Pacific communities should consider these principles:
Whānau voice and agency. Whānau should be the authors of their own development, not passive recipients of services others design for them. Grants that support whānau-led initiatives and self-determined priorities align with Whānau Ora philosophy.
Holistic focus. Wellbeing is not siloed into health, education, housing, and employment. Whānau-centred approaches address all dimensions of wellbeing together. Funders who restrict grants to narrow service categories may inadvertently prevent holistic approaches.
Strengths-based. Whānau Ora is explicitly strengths-based — starting from what whānau are already doing well and building on those strengths, rather than focusing on deficits and problems. Grants frameworks that require applicants to document need in deficit terms are not aligned with this approach.
Long-term relationships. Meaningful whānau development takes time. Short-term project grants interrupt the relationship-based work that Whānau Ora requires. Multi-year funding reflects the reality of whānau development timelines.
Flexibility. Whānau needs don't fit neatly into service categories. Whānau Ora practitioners need flexibility to respond to what whānau need — which may shift over time. Overly prescribed grant conditions constrain effective practice.
Māori and Pacific leadership. Whānau Ora approaches should be led by Māori and Pacific peoples, not delivered to them by organisations without cultural expertise. Assessment should look for genuine cultural leadership and community connection.
Genuine whānau relationships. Are the proposed approaches relationship-based? Does the organisation have existing relationships in the communities it proposes to serve?
Alignment with commissioning agencies. For Māori and Pacific providers operating in the Whānau Ora space, what is their relationship with the commissioning agencies (Te Pou Matakana, Te Pūtahitanga, Pasifika Futures)? Are they existing Whānau Ora providers? Are they seeking to become one?
Cultural infrastructure. Does the organisation have the tikanga, te reo, and cultural practice to deliver genuine kaupapa Māori or Pacific approaches?
Whānau Ora outcome reporting is distinctive. Rather than reporting on service outputs (contacts, sessions, referrals), Whānau Ora reporting should capture:
Whānau development: What has changed for whānau as a whole? Are whānau more connected, more stable, more capable?
Whānau-defined outcomes: Are whānau achieving the goals they set for themselves? This requires tracking against whānau plans, not against externally defined outcome categories.
Self-determination indicators: Are whānau more able to navigate systems, access services, and advocate for themselves?
Cultural outcomes: Are whānau stronger in their connection to language, tikanga, and whakapapa?
Tahua supports Whānau Ora providers and kaupapa Māori organisations with flexible grant management and reporting tools that can capture whānau-defined outcomes, not just standardised service statistics.