A Whānau Ora provider collective is transforming the livelihoods of Bay of Plenty families through a ground-breaking pilot.

Tauranga-based Ngā Mataapuna Oranga Kaupapa Māori PHO has successfully linked whānau to budgeting workshops, computer lessons and money management courses as part of a comprehensive financial literacy project.

It is the first collective to partner with the 2020 Communications Trust, targeting families without computers and with limited or no computer skills. To date, more than 80 whānau have completed the trust’s Computers in Homes programme with another 50 attending a follow-on course, Stepping UP.

Ngā Mataapuna Oranga managing director Janice Kuka says many whānau have gone on to jobs or formal training while many others are inquiring about the next intake.

“Having baseline computing skills is opening up a whole new world for whānau – it removes the fear of operating in a world where computers are necessary in most jobs as well as for study,” says Janice.

The collective is also partnering with the Tauranga Budget Advisory Service to train Māori budget advisors and is delivering financial literacy seminars to their providers’ communities.

Whānau are now enrolling on the Certificate in Money Management at Te Wānanga o Aotearoa – a direct result of the project – and financial literacy is a component of the collective’s Pre-Entry to Nursing programme.

“What we are designing and delivering for the financial literacy project will be packaged so that other Whānau Ora collectives will be able to pick up the principles and roll it out in their own areas.” www.nmo.org.nz

“Whānau Ora is having a significant impact on whānau in the Bay of Plenty rohe – we believe it is working.” Janice Kuka

Image:Ngā Mataapuna Oranga managing director Janice Kuka and staff – from left to right: Trudy Ake (Quality Coordinator), Martin Steinmann (Business Development Manager and Whānau Ora Project Leader) and Traci Wepiha-Te Kanawa (Workforce Development Manager).