To check out the video for this speech go to: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VIeKOToHfro

As I thought about the place in which you are gathered today, I couldn't help but reflect again, on the wisdom of Potatau te Wherowhero,

Kotahi te kohao o te ngira e kuhuna ai te miro ma, te miro pango, te miro whero.  I muri, kia mau ki te aroha, ki te ture, ki te whakapono.

Through the eyes of the needle pass the white threads, the black threads and the red threads.  Afterwards, looking to the past as you progress, hold firmly to your love, the law and your faith.

It is a message of kotahitanga; of manaakitanga; of rangatiratanga.

It inspires us to acknowledge our connections while being proud of our distinctive identities.   It speaks to us of coming together for a common goal.

There is no better evidence of this in my mind, than the unique combination of the three forces who have come together for this AGM - Te Roopu Mate Huka o Aotearoa; Nga Ngaru Hauora o Aotearoa and Te Kaunihera o Nga Neehi Maori o Aotearoa.

What you have done in coming together in this AGM demonstrates that you are at the cutting edge, as we respond to the winds of change upon us primarily in health, but also right across the social policy sector.

The move to collaboration -the joined-up approach - is being mirrored in other parts of the health journey. 

You may be aware of the national Maori PHO coalition which is also demonstrating the value of working together. 

They are a national coalition of eleven Maori led PHOs representing urban, rural and tribal entities who are combining forces to focus on interaction and integration with whanau right at the core.

You will also be aware of the Government's direction as expressed in the movement for primary health care which is "better, sooner, more convenient".

There is a focus on a more personalised primary health care system and a desire to reduce pressure on hospitals.

The strategy promotes a philosophical shift to transfer services into local communities; accompanied with developments such as nurse-led clinics and an enhanced role for nurses, as case managers.

But I want to point out a ey element to the Government's strategy which is where I think your three organisations can play a particularly crucial role.

The social movement that is being anticipated in the strategy is articulated in this one sentence:

This requires a patient-centred health system where individuals are active partners with health professionals in the management of their own treatment and care.

That all sounds fine - self-managed, self-determined care with the active co-operation of health professionals.

But there is one word missing - one very big word - and that is whanau.

A surprising omission - because I have been amazed how many providers and people are now coming up to me, to share their successes about the whanau ora model.

I am always a bit wary when concepts become popularised, as to how these concepts are applied.

I have no desire to define whanau - there can be no dispute.  Whanau means to be born of, and that to me is absolutely about whakapapa - the direct links we have to our hapu, our iwi, our tupuna.

And I have no desire to define whanau ora either - whanau ora is not about having a few Maori nurses as part of your service; or being able to count up the number of Maori clients that walk through your door.

The point for me, is that you will define whanau ora, as being the aspirations and the priorities that you will know; because of your connections to your whanau.

As whanau, we must define for ourselves the direction we want Government to take, in respect of our interests.

You will know you have achieved whanau ora because you will be proud that the whanau you connect to, are self-sufficient, independent and interdependent.  

What I am interested in, is defining and aiming for outcomes that paint a landscape in which whanau ora is evident in everything you do.

The outcomes that matter to whanau might be that they are:

• Carriers of culture and heritage;


• Models of healthy lifestyle;


• Access points to your world;


• Gateways to te Ao Maori;


• Guardians of the environment;


• Economic units;


• Whanau educators;


• Whanau transmitters of knowledge


• And whanau innovators.

These are just a few starting points - I am sure your hui will build on this list and scope out the landscape which reflects your unique priorities as well.

There may be some of you who are saying, - "it's not in my job description to meet all of these goals".

And I guess I would challenge you to consider that whanau ora is all of our business.

If I think, say, of the diabetes business - whether it be undertaking blood glucose and blood pressure testing; nutrition advice; or in treating and preventing obesity; eye disease, kidney failure; heart disease; strokes - the list goes on - we all know that the most effective solutions will ones which are owned by the whole whanau.

It's no good having the podiatrist come to your door in the morning when that night fatty beef and sugary sweets are served up for tea.

It's about understanding the complexity of the needs, and bringing them together to make the difference.   And it's about sharing our successes, the best practice models.

This centre here, for instance, Te Kohao Health, works hard to focus on whanau ora in all of the health programmes they undertake. 

The services are free for whanau members, and they are based on the model of te pae mahutonga - addressing physical, emotional, environmental, spiritual and cultural factors to enhance overall wellbeing and lifestyle change.

While we must share our success stories across the health sector, I want to emphasize that we are also calling for a wider view of co-operation and collaboration.

It's about vertical and horizontal integration  - in looking at the widest range of our areas of interest - whether it be Child, youth and family, justice, education, housing, work and income, accident compensation and more.

The changes we are seeking are a major transformation.

We must join together, we must consolidate and strengthen our networks; and we must always look for the greatest landscape for our whanau.

And so over this AGM I would encourage you to look hard at your organisations, at yourselves - and really consider what are the best opportunities for achieving the outcomes we all want.

I thank you all for the selfless dedication in which you serve our whanau; and I wish you well for a stimulating and productive AGM.