Winston on Whanau Ora
February 8th, 2012 at 8:29 am by David FarrarJohn Hartevelt at Stuff reports:
Millions of taxpayer dollars have been handed out to organise family reunions, it has been alleged.
New Zealand First leader Winston Peters said this afternoon that about $6 million of tax-payer cash had been “squandered” on a Whanau Ora programme that funded “family reunions”.
“Whanau Ora is a waste of tax-payer’s money. It’s going to be a disaster for Maoridom. It’s a pet idea of the Maori Party and John Key is selling out on separatist policies,” Peters said.
He said an official Whanau Ora report showed more than 200 applications for the scheme – known as “Whanau Integration, Innovation and Engagement funding” – had been accepted.
The report says the fund is “available to support whanau, who, among other things, want to strengthen whanau ties”.
Peter’s hyperbole is as usual nearing hysterical and overblown. But underneath the hyperbole, he may have a valid issue.
I have no problem with the concept of Whanua Ora, and think it has the potential to improve outcomes for disadvantaged families.
But as with all Government spending, I would not be at all surprised if some of the programmes funded are of marginal benefit or value, and should be scrapped. And having Winston put the blowtorch on them is not necessarily a bad thing.
It would be unwise to jump to conclusions on the basis of allegations from Winston alone, otherwise we’d still be looking for the Cook Strait ferry that scraped the bottom, or the mystery fleet of WINZ BMWs. But I suspect in this case that some of the activities funded by the Whanau Integration, Innovation and Engagement fund are deserving of further scrutiny.
Worth noting this Dom Post article gives more details of the case cited:
However, Mrs Turia said the Rutene whanau plan included advancing education, employment, health, and cultural identity outcomes.
“The mechanism for this process of transformation was six hui,” Mrs Turia said. “I don’t know of any whanau that would have six ‘family reunions’ in one year. That is just ridiculous.”
Government spending on Whanau Ora would be more effective at empowering families to take control of their situations, and lead to savings when ongoing state support was no longer needed, she said.
“Families working together to improve their health, education and abilities to contribute to their communities are also role modelling for future generations.”
As I said, the aims are good. Whether the desired outcomes eventuate may be another matter.
Tags: Whanua Ora, Winston Peters
February 8th, 2012 at 8:33 am
He does have a valid point.
I’m getting absolutely fed up with maori demands — they are hysterically shrieking for more and more.
Now the maori want me to pay them for my drinking water.
The waitangi day debacle was also disgrace…when the maoris show the PM disrespect they show me disrespect.
All we ever hear about every day is maori want this, maori want that, and maori baby bashings.
Vote:February 8th, 2012 at 8:35 am
He does have a point. And where is Turia, anyway?
Vote:February 8th, 2012 at 8:43 am
Even peters can be occasionally right by accident
Vote:February 8th, 2012 at 8:43 am
“Rutene whanau plan included advancing education, employment, health, and cultural identity outcomes.”
Seriously holding 6 meetings was the plan?
Vote:February 8th, 2012 at 8:52 am
Was it just me or did the entire house seem to treat Winston as if he were an old man suffering from dementia?
Vote:February 8th, 2012 at 8:55 am
“the aims are good” – Hip-hop tour anyone?
If National were in opposition I think that Farrar would be looking at this quite differently. Is it really sufficient to have good aims?
[DPF: No, which is why I said the scrutiny is good. You seem to have not read the full post]
Vote:February 8th, 2012 at 8:57 am
And having Winston put the blowtorch on them is not necessarily a bad thing.
It sounds like he is also anti the Waitangi/Anzac Mondayising bill, albeit misinformed about how it would actually work (still celebrate them on the actual dates but take a holiday on Monday if they fall in the weekend).
Maybe he needs a bit of constituent blowtorch directed at him on this. I guess retired people won’t care about holidays, but they don’t get him past 5%.
Vote:February 8th, 2012 at 9:01 am
what wreck 1080 said.
Notional need to wake the hell up.
Vote:February 8th, 2012 at 9:05 am
I also agree with Winston on this matter. I wonder if the TAB is offering odds on the ‘Whanau Ora’ millions being ‘misappropriated’?? I think there is a sad sense of inevitibility about this pending disaster…
Vote:February 8th, 2012 at 9:10 am
Hsve we taxpayers stopped funding horse racing prizes? Just on the subject of low-quality spending…
Vote:February 8th, 2012 at 9:21 am
More and more money wasted on Maori initiatives like this crap.
Vote:If National had some balls (unlikely), it should stop it immediately.
February 8th, 2012 at 9:24 am
Whanau Ora, a “pending disaster?” No, not really. Just another in a long line of useless, tax payer funded, more of the same, money wasting, Maori, keep the natives happy, bullshit political wankery. Who,apart from the Maori party, doesn’t already know this?
Vote:February 8th, 2012 at 9:28 am
I think its a cunning plan to set Maori up so we can once and for all discredit this type of bullshit.
Vote:February 8th, 2012 at 9:29 am
If Winston were a woman he would be called hysterical. The media runs to him whatever rubbish he spouts in that stupidly over-blown language.
Vote:There was a news item that cigarette smoking leads to dementia in males. Perhaps that’s the cause.
February 8th, 2012 at 9:35 am
BeaB- I take it you are okay then with taxpayer money being used to fund large ‘Family Reunions’? (i:e pissups…..)
Vote:February 8th, 2012 at 10:10 am
MARA is right and Winston is self righteous the same wastage especially in Maori health schemes occurred when Winston was propping up Labour and he turned a blind eye to them. Then as now it is the price of MMP as long as that crazy system persists we will have these wrorts no matter which party has to surrender their integrity to remain in government.
Vote:February 8th, 2012 at 10:18 am
Winston complaining about wasted government spending?
I might take the complaint seriously if NZ First returned the $158,000 that they stole from Parliamentary Services.
Vote:February 8th, 2012 at 10:43 am
One good thing about Winston Peters is that he is prepared to call out racist and wasteful Maori policies which craven white politicians are too scared to do.
Vote:February 8th, 2012 at 12:17 pm
In an interview on RNZ this morning including Winston and Tariana Turia, Winston was unable to substantiate his allegations to any great effect. Mr Peters named the family who recieved the $3000 funding for a family reunion, which in fact was a grant put towards organising a family conference to resolve personal family issues, as permitted under the Whanau Ora scheme which focusses on bringing families together at times of difficulty.
Vote:It could be added that Mr Peters was as expected being somewhat disingenous in his allegations, and has made public an otherwise private family matter for political purposes.
Mrs Turia defended the funding commenting that this is Whanau Ora in action and that other families in similar situations have recieved similar funding, a small price to pay to help families.
February 8th, 2012 at 12:21 pm
I’m trying to put on a wedding/”hui” for my whole family later on this year.
It would really help to foster our family Integration, Innovation and Engagement.
[We're mostly white so I say "family" not "whanau".]
About $10k of taxpayer money would cover it – where do I sign up?
Vote:TIA
February 8th, 2012 at 12:51 pm
Without Winston there would have been no one with the balls (except Hillary Calvert). If Hillary Calvert got her act together she would have been a talent.
Vote:February 8th, 2012 at 3:32 pm
i agree Winston does have a point.
It seems what we have here is another rort by which bloodsucking Maori can filtch some dollars
for themselves from the taxpayers of NZ.
Sadly, when Winston outsmarts himself as he did in question time in parliament today, and is incapable
of asking an intelligable question on the subject and has to rely on pittifull smart alec points of order
that are easily smacked down by Brownlee, he can’t progress it.
Yesterday was a bad day in the house for Winston.
Today he made a fool of himself.
Clearly he has lost it. Not the man he once was.
Thats a pity.
Vote:February 8th, 2012 at 3:43 pm
By the way, in a game of poker body language that gives you away is referred to as, “tells.”
Watch Winsons eyes fluttering like crazy when Brownlee bats his points of order into touch.
When the Speaker today said something to the effect of,
‘its not my problem if the minister finds the members question unintelligable.’
Winstons eye fluttering went beserk.
Vote:February 8th, 2012 at 6:37 pm
I’m afraid that my blood still boils when smarmy Peters accuses anyone of wasting taxpayer’s money.
When he gives us back the $158,000 and tells the truth about Owen’s bailout I might listen to him.
Vote:February 8th, 2012 at 8:02 pm
He who pays the piper calls the tune. If no one is paying the piper he is short of funds (unlike National)
Vote:February 8th, 2012 at 11:10 pm
More overblown hyperbole by the KB set….take a seat next to Winnie, he’s tops at that too.
Having used Whanau Ora for post=natal services, we can safely say they’re providing more than comparable services (by our own personal comparison) than the now fully leftist tools known as Plunket. No grilling about your methods of discipline, nosey parker questioning about living conditions, etc. Just measure the baby, give tips on how to keep mothers nipples from cracking then smile and outta here.
Those bladdy marri’s are rorting the system again, is a hell of a lot easier….Haha, grab a f’n tissue!
Vote:February 9th, 2012 at 7:22 am
And then there’s the $$$ doled out for free life insurance, if you happen to be Maori. I kid you not. Many thou. Almost a instantaneously after death for the Tangi. Followed by a hundred or two, thousand that is, for whatever. I am not making this up. Whether this is happening now I don’t know. But I know for a fact that it was happening in the second half of 2010.
Vote:February 9th, 2012 at 7:30 am
Whanau Ora is the price Labour lite pays the racist Maori Party to stay on board and keep its mouth conveniently shut.
A waste of taxpayer money? Yes.
Vote: