Whānau manaaki plans

2 June 2021

At the heart of Māori Pathways is a kaupapa māori and whānau-centred approach to our work.  We’re trying different ways, which will be evaluated and used to inform wider Corrections practice.

In Hawke's Bay, whānau manaaki plans are one of the key tools being used as part of the Māori Pathways programme.  All men who opt onto the Māori Pathway can complete a whānau manaaki plan.

Tāne work with their Case Manager and others to develop a whānau manaaki plan that helps them identify what their goals are and what help they need to achieve those goals.

“Instead of us telling them what they need, they determine it for themselves,” says Hawke's Bay Māori Pathways Principal Adviser Case Management Justin Edwards.

“Our case managers have already shifted the way they work. Tāne are leading the discussions and developing strategies for themselves, as a result of the whānau manaaki planning process. A key part is whānau involvement, connecting early and identifying their roles in achieving the goals.”

“Our Māori Pathways case managers are here to tautoko and support tāne and their whānau but with the understanding that self-determination is an important part of a man’s journey to oranga and wellbeing.”

The development of whānau manaaki plans was designed alongside our Whānau Ora partner, and the Māori Pathways team has been able to prototype this new approach with both tāne and their whānau.

“Prototyping allows us to learn as we go, and that’s what Māori Pathways is about,” says Justin.

“It’s early days, but we are clearly seeing whānau and tāne achieve really positive outcomes that have been determined by them. It gives us confidence that we have the ability achieve meaningful change.”

The Māori Pathways team in Hawke’s Bay is currently looking at how whānau manaaki plans can support our external partners and whānau.