Te Pou Matakana - a new organisation born from the National Urban Māori Authority (NUMA) has been selected to establish the Whānau Ora Commissioning Agency for Te Ika a Māui (North Island) announced Minister for Whānau Ora, Tariana Turia today.

“Te Pou Matakana will extend beyond the existing NUMA depth and breadth to be inclusive of a full range of Whānau Ora stakeholders. Te Pou Matakana will be taking an inclusive approach to building whānau capability so that whānau can create their own pathways, take back control of their lives, set achievable goals and plan for their futures,” says Minister Turia.

Te Pou Matakana through the work of NUMA has accumulated years of experience and expertise in supporting and uplifting families. It has developed a number of working relationships with key organisations including iwi, social service providers and government agencies. All three commissioning agencies have now been confirmed - Te Pou Matakana for North Island whānau, Te Pūtahitanga o Te Waipounamu for South Island whānau and Pasifika Futures for Pasifika families. Te Puni Kōkiri has led the procurement process with support from the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment, the Treasury and the Ministry of Pacific Island Affairs.