Las directrices del pensamiento filosófico de Ficino

The findings of this research coupled with the available literature, clearly show that

Whānau Ora as an approach to service development and delivery is already well

established in Māori organisations and communities. While a whānau centred service

has been practiced by many iwi and wider Māori organisations, the struggle has been to have the values of the approach recognised at a national policy level where the important decisions about resourcing are made. While the implementation of

Whānau Ora is likely to have little impact on the core substance of the social

services provided by iwi and Māori organisations, it does have the potential to

significantly boost the ability of organisations to deliver those services effectively and affordably. Initiatives such as the establishment of Whānau Ora collectives, greater opportunity for those collectives to influence the substance and nature of the

Whānau Ora contract and multi-government agency contracting could simplify the task of providing a comprehensive whānau centred service, make service delivery more cost effective and reduce the considerable amounts of time spent on administering individual contracts and applying for funding.

The implementation of Whānau Ora demonstrates however, that even in the case of a Māori focused policy initiative aimed at the level of whānau and community, those

at the implementation end of the spectrum still feel disconnected from the decisions being made at the policy and programme development stage. There is still work to be done in integrating community perspectives in policy and demonstrating to those at the coal face of service delivery that their contributions are valuable and their input reflected in final policy development decisions. Organisations too, would do well to establish communications channels whereby practitioners are aware of upcoming policy changes that will impact on their practice and are given opportunities to feedback in to the organisations contribution to the policy process in a visible way.

For Māori organisations, working with the government is now an inevitability and the ability to maintain positive or at least productive relationships in this space is an

117 important tool in the success of those Māori organisations. Te Rūnanga o Ngāti Porou has successfully negotiated the complex iwi-government relationship for a number of years and this is reflected in its position as the largest social service provider in the East Coast region. Moving in to a post-settlement era in Māori- Crown relationships iwi and Māori organisations are moving into a stronger position to extract value from these relationships and contribute more to national decision making processes. Growing out of an organisation that has learnt to deal effectively

with the government over more than a century, Te Rūnanganui o Ngāti Porou is in a

prime position to do this.

Despite the completion of many Treaty settlements and the near completion of many more, allowing iwi and hapū to grow in resources and influence, there is still much

work to do for iwi and Māori organisations to operate with greater autonomy in the social service sector. Many iwi organisations are in the early post-settlement stages and establishing governance entities and finding the right balance between economic, social and cultural aspirations and their respective activities is a time and resource intensive task. For now at least, the combination of government with the

backing of resources and Māori with the backing of tikanga is still the most effective

option. While iwi may one day be in a position to provide social services more independently of government, currently capacity for this is limited. It could be argued also, that maintaining a strong partnership with government despite having the resources to operate independently will still provide essential value to Māori social services. Positive Māori development is not something that can be fully wrought within the bounds of the State, the social service sector or even within a

purely Māori framework but rather requires Māori responsibility for Māori advancement in partnership with the State but not in debt to it.

Equally as challenging is the growing diversity of iwi and Māori populations that organisations like the Rūnanga are set up to represent. In a similar fashion to the

necessity of maintaining relationships with government, iwi and Māori organisations must continue to look outward, to be adaptable and to allow for tikanga to grow and develop to meet new challenges. Initiatives like Whānau Ora that take a holistic and collective view of social service provision are likely to benefit not only Māori but all New Zealanders.

118 The political realm has a significant impact on the resources and support that are available for particular approaches to service provision. Whānau Ora is not simply a reflection of an evolving attitude in Māori policy but the result of a political

agreement between the National and Māori parties and has suffered in its

implementation because of the politics involved. However, despite the decisions being made by politicians, it will likely be up to the provider collectives to prove the value of the programme. Because of this it will be important to utilise the resources set aside for evaluation as effectively as possible both to prove and improve the

value of whānau centred initiatives.

In communities that are somewhat insulated from the mainstream of New Zealand social organisation as is the case with the East Coast, the incorporation of Māori values is not only natural but it is the recognised norm. In this way tikanga can be

‘taken for granted’ allowing for that tikanga to adapt and provide support and value in an increasingly fast-paced modern world. While the geographical isolation of

Ngāti Porou communities may have been seen in the past as a challenge to economic

prosperity and social advancement, it has allowed Ngāti Porou to consolidate a

strong cultural base and iwi/hapū identity. This will almost certainly be an effective foundation for the Rūnanga to stand on as Ngāti Porou becomes increasingly

connected to not only a national but international community and economy through technological advances, growing trade opportunities, global indigenous connections and increased resources through Treaty settlement and the opportunities it affords.

In an international sense, there is also potential for Whānau Ora to have an impact on the way that social services are delivered to indigenous peoples the world over. Indigenous North Americans share similar socio-economic concerns with Māori as well as a similar socio-political history. Because of this, North American studies on indigenous peoples have been completed on a foundation of evidence from Māori research (Weaver, 1999). Thus it can be said that should Whānau Ora prove successful in this country, a similar initiative may prove equally as successful in North America. It is also likely that the development of Whānau Ora may also provide useful case studies for other international research in countries with both settler and indigenous populations.

119

“Mana motuhake Ngāti Porou, mo nga uri whakatipu” is part of the Ngāti Porou

vision and means “Ngāti Porou, self-determining for the future”. The achievements

and struggles of Ngāti Porou social services are a strong argument that this vision

will be realised, supported by a national move toward holistic, whānau centred services.