For Whānau

How can whānau access Whānau Ora services?

If you want to find out more about Whānau Ora services in your area, contact the commissioning agency in your region.

• Rangitāmiro, commissioning Whānau Ora services in the North Island, north of and including Taupō.
• Māhutonga, commissioning Whānau Ora services in the North Island, south and east of Taupō.
• Te Tauraki Limited, commissioning Whānau Ora services in the South Island.
• Tātou Collective, commissioning Whānau Ora services across Aotearoa New Zealand focused on delivery methods that can deliver for Pacific peoples. 

What is a Whānau-centred approach?

Whānau Ora providers take a whānau-centred approach to supporting whānau aspirations. A whānau-centred approach:

• starts by asking whānau and families what you want to achieve for yourselves, and then responding to those aspirations to realise whānau potential
• recognises each whānau has different needs, and what works well for one whānau does not work well for others
• recognises whānau have skills, knowledge and experiences
• provides flexible support for whānau and families to move beyond crisis into achieving medium and long-term goals for sustained change, helping whānau become more self-managing and independent
• focuses on relationships, self-direction and building skills for whānau to achieve positive long-term outcomes
• responds in a joined-up way to whānau aspirations across several areas, such as economic, cultural, environmental, and social (that is, support for several things at once)
• will differ depending on how each community responds to local needs.

How do navigators work to support whānau?

Navigators work closely with whānau to identify their specific needs and aspirations, then help identify the services, education providers or employment and business opportunities.

Navigators support whānau to plan, then connect them with the support they need to achieve their goals. Navigators have the cultural and local knowledge necessary to understand whānau situations and build relationships of trust and confidence.

For many whānau, working with a navigator will be their first experience with social service delivery focusing on your strengths and aspirations. Sometimes whānau may need help to overcome certain crises or barriers and once this is done the navigators continue to work with them to look at opportunities.

What can success look like for whānau if they get support from Whānau Ora?

Whānau Ora is focused on achieving whānau wellbeing over the short, medium and long-term.

To learn more about what Whānau Ora can mean for whānau, please refer to the Whānau Ora Outcomes Framework.

These outcomes are how the government measures the impact of Whānau Ora, through information given to us by Whānau Ora providers.

What data is collected about whānau who receive Whānau Ora services?

Most of the data collected about whānau, such as the content of the whānau plan, remains confidential to the navigator and the service provider who employs them. Some information is passed on to Whānau Ora Commissioning Agencies to help them understand how many whānau are engaging in services and patterns of outward service referral. This information is also shared with Te Puni Kōkiri but all data are aggregated before sending to Te Puni Kōkiri. This means that no individuals or whānau can be identified in any information shared with Te Puni Kōkiri. Whānau who choose to take part in Whānau Ora services consent agree to supply a small amount of identifying information to Stats NZ for linkage to the Integrated Data Infrastructure (IDI). All IDI-based analyses use de-identified data and are based on data the Crown already holds about whānau obtained through other legal means (e.g. records of school enrolments or access to a health service). This approach is consistent with the Privacy Act 2020 because this information is used for research purposes only and the Act explicitly allows for this (as does the Data and Statistics Act 2022, which governs Stats NZ’s use of the IDI).  

Why is data collected on the whānau who use Whānau Ora services?  

Data is essential for decision-making across the Whānau Ora network. It helps service providers understand whānau aspirations and tailor services accordingly. It helps Commissioning Agencies to target investment strategies and align the navigator workforce to regional needs. It also enables Te Puni Kōkiri to monitor how the system is delivering for whānau overall.    

Should I be concerned about my privacy and the privacy of my whānau?  

We understand that privacy is a significant concern for many whānau. Commissioning Agencies and Te Puni Kōkiri take this very seriously and have steps in place to ensure whānau data is protected.

Commissioning Agencies have the capability to safeguard whānau data and periodically participate in external audits of IT systems to ensure strong privacy settings. Commissioning Agencies also work closely with service providers to make sure privacy controls are in place right across the Whānau Ora network.  

Data is linked with Stats NZ’s Integrated Data Infrastructure (IDI) for monitoring and evaluation purposes. Stats NZ has robust processes, including the Five Safes framework to ensure only vetted researchers analyse data in secure environments. Stats NZ also uses Ngā Tikanga Paihere framework developed by a member of Te Mana Raraunga, the Māori Data Sovereignty network, to ensure analyses are conducted in a culturally appropriate manner. Te Puni Kōkiri works very closely with Stats NZ to ensure we comply with these robust privacy and data sovereignty practices.

To protect the privacy of whānau, all data is de-identified by Stats NZ before being analysed in the IDI. Te Puni Kōkiri does not receive any data that could be used to identify any individuals or a whānau.  

Stats NZ has an overarching Privacy Impact Assessment for the IDI, which includes actions to ensure strong privacy protections. Stats NZ carry out individual Privacy Impact Assessments for all new linkages, including those related to Whānau Ora. Te Puni Kōkiri has completed a Privacy Impact Assessment for its collection of aggregated data and the system settings required to keep personal information safe. The Office of the Privacy Commissioner has reviewed this and is satisfied with the controls in place.  

These measures minimise the risk of any privacy breaches ensuring that personal information is well protected.    

What if whānau don’t want to share their data? Can they still access Whānau Ora services?  

Whānau Ora services begin with whānau aspirations and a desire to make positive choices and changes. This means that whānau choose to take part in Whānau Ora services and co-design their plan. This decision is not made by the Government, Commissioning Agencies, or service providers. If a whānau does not wish to make a plan and set goals for change, they cannot progress into the Whānau Ora support network.  

By agreeing to make a plan and set goals for change, whānau agree to supply a small amount of identifying information to Stats NZ for linkage to the Integrated Data Infrastructure (IDI). The whānau plan (and goal setting within it) is a key source of data for understanding the impact of Whānau Ora overall. Individual and whānau data within a plan is confidential to their service provider and the Commissioning Agency. The Government, including Te Puni Kōkiri and Stats NZ, does not have any access to the personal information within the whānau plan.  

Service providers must ensure that whānau wishing to engage in Whānau Ora services are provided with an approved privacy statement, ensuring they understand how their data will be used and protected, in accordance with relevant privacy laws.