Auditor-General John Ryan says many whānau might not be getting all the support available to address their needs Photo: Controller and Auditor General
The public sector has made little progress on supporting Whānau Ora and whānau-centred approaches, the auditor-general says.
A new report says the steps some organisations have taken towards implementing approaches have been small scale and time limited.
Since Whānau Ora was founded in 2010, several reviews have found its whānau-centred approach to be effective for Māori families.
Whānau Ora offers wraparound services to Māori families rather than simply focusing on the welbeing of an individual.
Providers and agencies working with Whānau Ora are supposed to be required to centre their focus on whānau.
But Auditor-General John Ryan said he has not seen a significant shift from public agencies towards supporting or implementing whānau-centred services and initiatives where it was appropriate to do so.
"This means many whānau might not be getting all the support available to address their needs and help them achieve their aspirations," he said.
A lack of clear expectations for how public organisations should support Whānau Ora was one of the main barriers to success, he said.
The second major barrier was that some public sector processes and practices can make it difficult for public organisations to support Whānau Ora and whānau centred practices.
Without a change to public sector conventions, some whānau may not see their needs met, Ryan said.
"I acknowledge that it can be challenging to change public sector norms and conventions. This can even be the case when there is consensus that significant changes are needed," he said.