Hon Tariana Turia

Associate Minister of Social Development

Tuesday 21 February 2013

E Tū Whānau Hui Workshops, Launch of E Tū Whānau Toolbox & Budget Announcement

Novotel Lakeside, Rotorua

E ngā mātāwaka e tau mai nei ki raro i te mana o Ngā Pūmanawa e Waru o Te Arawa, tēnā koutou katoa.

I am pleased to be here amongst you all today. I would especially like to congratulate the recipients of last night’s E Tū Whānau awards for being courageous, for standing up and for making a difference in our communities. To speak out against violence is not easy – but this brave stance that you are all taking will ensure that the future for our tamariki and mokopuna will be a safer one.

I am proud of the successes that have been achieved so far in our E Tū Whānau programme and I believe these successes are due to the strong foundations of kaupapa Māori that have been laid. E Tū Whānau starts with whānau and recognises that solutions to rid our communities of violence must be founded on kaupapa Māori ways of working. Instead of focusing on weaknesses, E Tū Whānau focuses on the strengths of the whānau where Māori drive the solutions. E Tū Whānau is also very clear that the Government has responsibilities to support families in this kaupapa. That is the partnership that needs to happen to take us forward to eliminate violence.

Today is an opportunity to bring together key people to share ideas and to plan actions together - To hear about some of the things that are already happening and working - To develop shared agreement and understanding about the stand we are taking as Māori to shape a different future for our whānau. The workshops today will focus on strengthening whānau, hapū and iwi as we work to reduce violence within our communities. The workshops will also develop a charter for Te Ao Māori that will be kaupapa Māori based and will include an action plan to create a future that does not include violence.

Today I am proud to be able to launch the E Tū Whānau Leadership Toolbox. This toolbox is designed to support those who commit to the E Tū Whānau kaupapa and the elimination of violence within whānau and will add to the resources already available. It is designed to be a quick and easy tool with information, data and messages that can be added to and changed to fit local needs and kaupapa.

Last week in the Budget we announced a commitment to designing and piloting the concept of a Warrant of Fitness for housing – in essence, it is setting up the expectation that everyone is entitled to live in a warm, dry home, free from dampness and mould – a home that provides shelter while at the same time being a site of safety.

In many ways the E Tū Whānau programme represents the same expectation – that our whānau have the right to live in homes in which whanaungatanga, whakapapa, wairua, mana and mauri help bring a sense of well-being for us all.

E Tū Whānau aligns well with Whānau Ora and as you know this is a kaupapa that I am also passionate about.

Whānau Ora is about empowering whanau to take control of their future, to be self-determining, to be living healthy lifestyles, to be participating fully in society and to be economically secure. And that includes being violence free. This aligns with the aspirations of E Tū Whānau and it is important that these initiatives work closely and support each other in the journey towards Te Mana Kaha o te Whanau.

I have a vision for our people built on a society that nurtures us all - where whānau are happy, healthy and thriving – but there is still a lot more work to be done – and I believe the commitment shown by you all here shows that we have made a great start!

Whānau Ora and E Tū Whānau will help provide the framework for change but real change will only come from within – from us all – as whānau.

Let us celebrate our strengths today, share our stories, and take pride in our unique heritage and our shared whakapapa that will help pave the way forward for a positive future.

We have so much to be proud of. Let us harness our energy and our many talents - let us stay strong as a people and enrich our lives through whakapapa, tikanga and whanaungatanga and most importantly let us take everybody with us on this journey for a violence free whānau – a violence free community.

I would like to congratulate the Māori Reference Group for their vision and commitment to E Tū Whānau - and everyone else who has helped to develop the new Programme of Action including resources to support whānau, hapū and iwi to achieve positive change.

Today as Associate Minister for Social Development, I am proud to announce an additional $8m over four years for the E Tū Whānau programme to help address family violence within Māori whānau, Pasifika, migrant and refugee communities.

In many ways, this mahi – E Tū Whānau – is about investing in the layers of belonging that we all link to. We know that to strengthen ourselves and to achieve long-term and real change, we need to work with whānau, hapū and iwi to identify and use culturally relevant ways of changing attitudes and behaviours.

The increase in funding will expand services to focus on Pasifika, migrant and refugee communities who are also vulnerable and need culturally relevant support and assistance to address issues of violence effectively. These peoples must be the authors of their own destinies.

The E Tū Whānau programme is making an important contribution to violence prevention and intervention in families because it takes a culturally relevant, collaborative and inclusive approach to transform families.

I wish everyone well in their work to achieve violence free free families.

He aha te mea nui o te ao? He tangata, he tangata, he tangata.

Tēnā rā koutou katoa.

ends

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