Whānau Reference Group
The Families Commission Act (2003) asks us to be cognisant of the needs, values and beliefs of Māori as tangata whenua.
To facilitate this, our Whānau Reference Group helps us identify issues and priorities for Māori so we can work with whānau to enable them to achieve total wellbeing.
Whānau Strategic Framework 2009-2012
Anga Rautaki ä-Whänau 2009-2012
Moe Milne
Ngati Hine, Ngapuhi
Moe is the chair of the Bicultural Therapy Model (BTM) committee for the Northland Corrections Facility and a member of the Mental Health Advocacy coalition. She works primarily in mental health and addictions and provides training for Māori and non-Māori health services. She is also involved in training the workforce in Māori practitioner competency.
She has been on many committees, including the Health Research Council, and chaired the Māori Health research committee. She has previously been with the Health and Disability Commissioner as Kaiwhakahaere (Māori Manager) and also has her own business, Te Moemoea.
Wharehoka Wano
Te Atiawa and Ngati Awa
Wharehoka Wano is the founder of Tihi Ltd, which provides management support to kura kaupapa teachers throughout Waikato, Taranaki, Hawkes Bay and Manawatu, and is also an award-winning event management organisation, involved in some of New Zealand’s premier festivals and events.
Before founding Tihi Ltd, Wharehoka taught English at Whakatane High School, and was a Māori Language teacher at primary, secondary and tertiary levels before moving to the Massey University College of Education as an advisor to Māori teachers working in kura kaupapa.
Dr Catherine Love
Te Atiawa, Taranaki, Ngati Ruanui and Nga Ruahinerangi
Catherine Love was Director of Indigenous Research and Development at Victoria University of Wellington, before taking up the position of National Manager for Entrepreneurship New Zealand in October 2008.
She has taught at Massey University, the Open Polytechnic of New Zealand and Victoria University for more than fifteen years. Dr Love is a Director of Metlife Care, Trustee of Palmerston North Māori Reserve Lands Trust, multi-iwi negotiator for the Port Nicholson Block Treaty of Waitangi claims settlement, member of the New Zealand Psychologists Board and Hutt Valley District Health Board.
Maxine Waiti Rennie QSM
Ngati Te Roro o Te Rangi/Ngati Whakaue Hapu of Te Arawa
Maxine Waiti Rennie has over thirty years experience in social services both at a local and national level. She is a strong advocate of restorative justice and actively involved in governance roles, mentoring Māori social work managers, supervision of Māori social work staff, community and iwi development to reduce whānau violence.
Tim Rochford
Kāi Tahu, Kāti Māmoe and Waitaha
Tim Rochford is a lecturer in Māori Health at the Department of Public Health, University of Otago, Wellington. He currently teaches medical students and a postgraduate paper on Māori health for the Diploma of Public Health.
Previously Tim was employed in Māori health policy for government departments for seven years. This included Te Puni Kōkiri, Ministry of Health and the Health Funding Authority. Tim is also Tiamana of Poutama Ora O Tai Poutini, the Māori Health consultative body for the Health Funding Authority and Coast Health Care. He also represents his Rūnaka (Te Rūnaka O Makaawhio) on Te Rūnanga O Ngai Tāhu (tribal council).
Dame Iritana Tawhiwhirangi
Ngati Porou, Ngati Kahungunu, Ngapuhi, Canadian, and English
Dame Iritana Tawhiwhirangi was one of the cornerstones of the Kōhanga Reo movement as a means to revitalise the Māori language. Picking up on the playcentre philosophy of community ownership and management, she helped create a whānau development model that is not only underpinned by cultural and administrative sovereignty, but has also created new opportunities in education and employment for Māori women, and whānau involvement. Internationally, the Kōhanga Reo model is now the established benchmark for the regeneration of indigenous languages.
Barbara Greer MNZOM
Ngati Mamoe, Ngai Tahu, and Ngati Porou
Barbara is the Tumuaki (Chief Executive Officer) of Rata Te Awhina Trust, a Kaupapa Maori Health and Social Service. She has also served two terms on the Community and Public Health Advisory Committee and a term each on the Epiqual, Quality Improvement and NHI Consumer Advisory committees. She is currently a member of the Māori Advisory, National Screening, Consumer Advisory, Te Rito Leadership and Strengthening Families Management groups as well as the Children and Care Protection Panel at Child, Youth and Family.
She is a Life Member of the Māori Women’s Welfare League (MWWL), a past Area Representative for Te Waipounamu, and was also a member of the Health Advisory Group at national level for the MWWL. She has more than forty years as a registered psychiatric nurse, clinical supervisor and a lead Auditor under the IRCA Certification Scheme.
