Minister of Whānau Ora Peeni Henare launched the second of four COVID reports outlining the response from the Whānau Ora collective at the Whānau Ora Commissioning Agency conference in Rotorua today.

To the 400+ contingent of Whānau Ora providers and delegates, the Minister applauded the celebrations and acknowledgement of the past four years since the last conference.

“You should celebrate as we reflect on ten years of Whānau Ora, coming together for the first time in a long time, and in person, to be able to hug one another, to talk to one another and to cry with one another is hugely important”.

Herenga Tāngata: Whānau Ora Response to COVID-19 Delta and Omicron showcases Whānau Ora workforce at the forefront of the testing and vaccination stations while tirelessly supporting their communities. It is also an acknowledgment of all of the kaimahi across the collective whose commitment and unwavering efforts protected whānau regardless of location, or circumstances.

“I use war time comparators to what we are trying to do here today. But what I do know, is over the past three years, in particular with COVID, it has been a war. It’s been a war for the hearts and minds our people, it’s been a war for the wellbeing of each and every individual of being Māori. It’s also been a war to prove to others that Whānau Ora is not just a Kaupapa. But that Whānau Ora equal success for our people, and that Whānau Ora equal success for our country”.

The third report is due out in June 2023 will cover the Whānau Ora response from April 2022 to March 2023.