Whānau Ora

Whānau Ora puts whānau and families at the centre of the services and supports they need, to build on their strengths and achieve their aspirations. The Whānau Ora kaupapa has, over the last decade, delivered positive results for whānau across Aotearoa, New Zealand.

Te Puni Kōkiri has undertaken a competitive procurement process to identify, select and engage Commissioning Agencies for the future delivery of Whānau Ora Commissioning Services. The following agencies will take over the commissioning of services from 1 July 2025:

• National Hauora Coalition, Te Tiratū and Ngaa Pou Hauora o Taamaki Makaurau Consortium operating as Rangitāmiro, which will commission Whānau Ora services in the North Island, north of Taupō.
• Te Rūnanga o Toa Rangatira, which will commission Whānau Ora services in the North Island, south of Taupō.
• Te Tauraki Limited, a subsidiary of Te Rūnanga o Ngāi Tahu, which will commission Whānau Ora services in the South Island.
• The Cause Collective, operating as The Tātou Collective, which will commission Whānau Ora services for Pasifika families across Aotearoa. 

With the appointment of these Commissioning Agencies Whānau Ora is entering a new era. But it will remain a flagship example of devolved Government-enabled, locally-led, and whanau-centred service delivery, and retain the seven core elements of Whānau Ora as articulated in the Whānau Ora Outcomes Framework.

Through this procurement process, the Government has sought to strengthen the existing foundations and support the shift of Whānau Ora into a widespread public service delivery model. It will achieve this through the delivery of five key shifts.

1. Greater service reach across Aotearoa, New Zealand, particularly to populations most in need:
   • an updated regional funding allocation model, with increased funding to front-line delivery
   • a greater spread, reach and number of Navigator services.
2. Strengthened evidence base, leading to broader adoption of Whānau Ora as a service delivery model:
   • anonymised Whānau Ora data will be linked to the Stats NZ Integrated Data Infrastructure (IDI) database
   • national consistency across impact and measurement frameworks.
3. Data-driven investment planning:
   • introducing a data-driven approach to strategic and investment planning, with a focus on government targets and alignment with the emerging Social Investment Approach
   • an updated funding model will ensure resource is channelled to where it is needed most, based on Stats NZ deprivation index
   • the introduction of Investment Boards to better ensure localised representative input will drive investment decisions
4. Improved frontline workforce development and retention
   • Commissioning Agencies and service provider networks will develop and deliver regional workforce development plans, ensuring that Navigators can meet the diverse needs of communities
   • incentivising workforce remuneration is in line with pay equity guidance.
5. Strengthened risk management processes
   • enhanced data accuracy, traceability and reporting will support the early identification of risks to ensure timely interventions for vulnerable whānau.

Te Puni Kōkiri will work with Commissioning Agencies during the transition period to ensure minimal disruption to whānau and service providers.

The Government’s expectation is that the incoming Commissioning Agencies will each have a clear and accessible process for whānau to be connected to Whānau Ora services throughout the transition period.

Entities that currently provide or are interested in providing Whānau Ora services from 1 July 2025 should reach out to the incoming Commissioning Agency for their region.

Te Puni Kōkiri issued a Request for Proposals (RFP) for new Whānau Ora Commissioning services to be delivered from 1 July 2025. A copy of the RFP can be found here [PDF 1.14MB].

If you have any questions about the RFP, please click here [PDF 211 KB].