MEDIA STATEMENT
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Tuesday 1 July 2025, 6:00 AM
2 minutes to Read
The legacy of Dame Tariana Turia will continue to thrive under the new Whānau Ora Commissioning Agency, Rangitāmiro, for Te Tai Tokerau, Tāmaki Makaurau, Waikato, Hauraki and Tuwharetoa from today.
Rangitāmiro is a consortium of Te Tiratū Iwi Māori Partnership Board, National Hauora Coalition (NHC), and Ngaa Pou Hauora oo Taamaki Makaurau (Ngaa Pou Hauora).
Rangitāmiro Board Chair Eru Lyndon acknowledged the substantial responsibility of continuing Whānau Ora.
“The late Dame Tariana Turia led the remarkable legacy of Whānau Ora that encompasses the crucial journey of growing whānau capacity capability and independence. Dame Tariana was steadfastly focused on empowering whānau to reclaim authority of their situation, to determine the solutions that impact them and the generations to come. Starting today and continuing, Rangitāmiro is committed to Dame Tariana’s vision with heightened concentration and unwavering dedication to whānau.”
Rangitāmiro has the largest population of the four new commissioning agencies and board member Dr Rachel Brown said they’re operational.
“We’re building on the success of Whānau Ora commissioning agencies and the great work
that’s been done. They’ve benefited whānau – they’ve benefited my own whānau. The project team have been working tirelessly over the past few months on the transitional process with existing and new partners. We have contracted 301 new full time employees, an increase of 120 kaimahi allowing us to reach even more whānau than before with minimal disruption to meet the deep need from Tuwharetoa to the Far North. These are staggering results in a very constrained timeframe that shows our dedication to the kaupapa and allegiance to Whānau Ora.”
Board member Dr Mataroria Lyndon, who is also a Board member of Te Tiratū brings a wealth of knowledge to the Rangitāmiro board and he is confident the new commissioning agencies will help improve whānau outcomes across Aotearoa.
“I mihi to all of the new commissioning agencies who put their hands up to continue this extraordinary mahi delivering Whānau Ora support. It’s evident that, despite it being our first day, it’s not our first experience with this kaupapa. We’ve been working with whānau for decades, and we’re resolute in taking those values, alongside the powerful legacy of Dame Tariana, forward into the future for our respective regions. Dame Tariana had always spoken of the importance of mahitahi, whanaungatanga, and manaakitanga for Whānau Ora.”