Family Futures

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A dvancing S ocial I ntegration and I ntergenerational Solidarity
Master’s degree in Māori Development, business administration
and management. These are Māori or community organizations
rather than government services. The urban whānau also drew
on the support available through urban marae, such as the marae
associated with the Manukau Urban Māori Authority.
Economic resources to these whānau included koha, fund-
raising, budgeting services and the Aotearoa Credit Union.
Environmental resources in the urban setting were very
scarce. At best, a few of the whānau had access to a garden.
When one whānau tried to practise customary food gathering,
its choices were restricted to the waterways around industrial
Auckland city, some of which are polluted.
In both the rural and urban studies, factors and practices
supporting whānau resilience include: the transmission of tribal
cultural knowledge; access to resources; education, skills and
capability; whānau development and high-trust relationships;
mana and self-esteem; advocacy and brokering; kanohi kitea
(face-to-face, community knowledge); presence of skilled whānau
workers; kaumātua and whānau support; ability to identify and
refer whānau members with problems; sports club and church
membership; and whānau access to computers and the Internet.
Urban Māori and community organizations play critical
roles in supporting families and whānau in their communities,
in the same way hapū and iwi act to create enabling environ-
ments that provide a range of social, cultural, economic and
environmental opportunities for the future development of
those involved. These organizations need not be formal ‘social
services’, but a mix of formal and informal organizations such
as a tribal authority, a sports club or a church.
Such organizations are often the first port of call for whānau
because of the relationship of trust that has been built between
the two. Therefore they have a critical role to play in connecting
whānau with other support networks. Services working to make a
positive difference with Māori are likely to have more success by
working within and through whānau, hapū, iwi and communi-
ties that are known, trusted and respected by whānau and work
within appropriate cultural frameworks. For example, the concept
of ‘kanohi kitea’ is one that supports face-to-face interaction,
rather than remote engagement by phone or e-mail. Seeing people
working within the community, actively engaged in relationship-
building, and attending events and occasions of importance to
whānau, reinforces the value that is placed on the relationship.
In a world where many are pressing for an approach to policy
and practice that is ‘evidence-informed’ and based on ‘what works’,
the whānau in these studies demonstrate the need to think care-
fully not only about what works, but also about what relationships
are working, and who determines what counts as success. This is
a significant challenge for everyone working in the development,
implementation and evaluation of social services in Aotearoa and
it is a challenge these whānau encourage us all to accept.
Understanding how best to work with and engage Māori,
especially wh ānau, is important since critical support func-
tions exist within the whānau as well as between whānau
and the hapū (sub-tribe) and iwi. These functions cannot
be replaced or replicated by government agencies and
programmes, but the study shows that they can be supported
to enhance the resilience of whānau.
The following passage from Sir Apirana Ngata (one of
Māoridom’s foremost leaders and scholars in the last century)
speaks of partnership and the resilience that Māori people
can draw from their own cultural traditions and values. It
reinforces the importance of whānau taking the lead in deci-
sions that affect their lives and in delivering services with the
support of their community.
E tipu, e rea
Mō ngā r ā o tou ao
Ko tō ringa ki ngā r ākau a to Pākehā
Hei ora mō tō tinana
Ko tō ngākau ki ngā taonga a ō tipuna
Hei tikitiki mō t ō māhunga
A,koo t ō wairua ke te Atua
Nā na nei ng ā mea katoa.
Grow tender shoot for the days of your world
Your hand to the tools of the Pākehā (non-M āori people)
For the welfare of your body
Your heart to the treasures of your ancestors
As a crown for your head
Your spirit unto God the author of all things.
Tangaroa and Rongomatane, Ngā Whare Waatea
Image: Manukau Urban Mäori Authority