The Māori health workforce has expanded over the last 25 years. Today there are more than 250 Māori health providers and many Māori health units within District Health Boards and Primary Health Organisations.

Kaumātua have key roles in these health teams, reflecting their knowledge of tikanga and te reo, and of whānau, communities and Māori networks.

Puna o te Ora is a resource tool-kit, developed to support the involvement of kaumātua in education, health and social services, especially where they can work with individuals and whānau, and help link services up with Māori communities.

Puna o te Ora was developed by Te Rau Matatini, with advice from a kaumātua reference group, called Te Rau Tuku Iho. It was funded by Te Puni Kōkiri.

Te Puna Ora challenges the sectors to use the skills and time of kaumātua wisely, so that their expertise is allowed to filter through the delivery of whānau-centred services and ultimately impact on the well-being of whānau.

This toolkit produced in Māori and English, will help health and social service workers to better understand the contributions of kaumātua, and better appreciate the wisdom they bring into the health and social sectors.

Puna o te Ora can be accessed on-line at www.matatini.co.nz