Whānau Ora remains the flagship example of a whānau centred locally-led, government enabled approach. At Tuesday’s appearance before the Māori Affairs Select Committee, the Secretary for Māori Development reaffirmed the programmes enduring principles and future direction.

“The fundamentals of Whānau Ora, the seven outcomes as we now move into the new Whānau Ora commissioning agencies remain in place, but the key point is they can reach where we can't reach.”

Mr Samuels highlighted the alignment between Whānau Ora and the government’s social investment approach, which focuses on attribution and outcome measurement through the Integrated Data Infrastructure.

“Whānau Ora is the biggest programme that is aligned to the IDI [Integrated Data Infrastructure]. This is ahead of the game, positioning it for the future.”

“It won't be a surprise that this government's approach to service delivery, its flagship approach, is the social investment approach. And that's based on attribution and being able to look at, when you're delivering these services, how are you shifting the dial in terms of outcomes. And you can only do that with data.”

Mr Samuels commented that throughout its history, Whānau Ora has demonstrated its value through qualitative analysis. New contracts to four new commissioning agencies now require the integration of data into the Integrated Data Infrastructure, enabling a more balanced, evidenced based view

Mr Samuels noted the significance of this shift.  

“We’ve long known that these services make a difference, but we’ve never been able to demonstrate that impact with certainty. Our aim now is to build the evidence so we can clearly and confidently show what’s working — using data to prove it beyond doubt.”

Recent media reporting has highlighted the importance of ensuring that discussions about Whānau Ora remain grounded in evidence, transparency and facts.

Whānau Ora continues to deliver for whānau across Aotearoa by combining cultural integrity with data-driven accountability. This approach ensures that Whānau Ora is positioned well for sustainable funding and long-term success.

ENDS