Te Pūtahitanga O Te Waipounamu Announces New Fund To Encourage Innovation And Resilience
Te Pūtahitanga o Te Waipounamu is proud to announce the Whānau Ora Innovation and Improvement Fund, which last week approved $626,000 of funding to 13 agencies across Te Waipounamu.
Pouārahi/CE Helen Leahy says that the fund was co-designed earlier this year by Te Pūtahitanga o Te Waipounamu and its Whānau Ora partners – the agencies that deliver the Whānau Ora Navigation approach. These partners range from marae and papatipu rūnanga, to hauora providers, NGOs, and community and social service organisations – the key to their success is their credibility across their communities.
The first round of the fund was opened in September, applying Whānau Ora funding allocated to Te Pūtahitanga o Te Waipounamu in the wake of the Delta outbreak.
“Te Pūtahitanga o Te Waipounamu supports 56 partners and 117 Whānau Ora Navigators, who have an unmatched reach into Māori communities throughout the South Island and Wharekauri/Rekohu/Chatham Islands,” says Ms Leahy. “When we received additional funding to support whānau impacted by the Delta lockdown, we knew that standing up the Whānau Ora Innovation and Improvement Fund would be the most effective way of investing that pūtea to the greatest value.”
Minister for Whānau Ora Peeni Henare supports the new fund, acknowledging the important role that Navigators and partners play in the delivery of Whānau Ora.
“Te Pūtahitanga o Te Waipounamu remains focused on achieving positive outcomes for whānau in innovative ways,” says Minister Henare. “Investing in Navigators and partners is an important way to acknowledge their ability to support their communities to build resilience to the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.”
Whānau Ora Navigators are a crucial part of the support provided by Te Pūtahitanga o Te Waipounamu, working alongside whānau to identify their strengths, dreams and aspirations. On a practical level, Navigators support whānau to access resources and expert support, and help coordinate services to achieve their goals.
“This new fund is an opportunity for partners and Whānau Ora Navigators to access funding that will allow them to move beyond business as usual, and develop new strategies to respond to the dire circumstances for whānau,” says Ms Leahy. “Last week our board was delighted to approved 13 applications that will support whānau throughout the motu to recover from the Delta lockdown.”
The successful applications represent a broad range of initiatives that will support whānau experiencing financial hardship, housing insecurity and mental health challenges as a direct result of the Delta lockdown.
“All of these kaupapa aim to support whānau with their immediate and most urgent needs, while also helping them to develop strategies that create long-term resilience,” says Ms Leahy. “This looks like everything from food sovereignty and kai resilience, to budgeting tools and financial coaching, to providing virtual technology and home connectivity set up, to a pop-up mobile health caravan.”