A different way of working together

This initiative brings key changes to how we work with providers and communities to better support whānau. We’re always learning and improving with the aim to commission differently to achieve greater outcomes.

A new procurement process for providers

Previously, traditional procurement processes didn’t factor in local contexts, favoured organisations that had the resources to write strong applications, and that over time resulted in less kaupapa Māori providers being a part of the service mix. 

To address these concerns, we introduced a new approach to procure Whānau Resilience. 

Instead of asking for just written applications, we included a combination of written and kanohi ki te kanohi (face-face) presentations that providers gave in front of their peers as well as a national panel. Presenting in front of peers made the procurement process more transparent, with the panel held accountable as everyone could see what was presented. 

The aim was to make a fairer process for all, and to ensure equitable representation of Māori and Pacific providers. As a result, we now contract: 

• 54% Kaupapa Māori 
• 17% Pasifika 
• 5% refugee and migrant community organisations 
• 24% mainstream providers. 

Solutions that are designed by the region, for the region

We know that communities and providers have invaluable knowledge, experience, and access to their unique local whānau voice that should inform the design of services in their communities. 

Whānau Resilience services were designed and implemented by the providers that now deliver them. This helped strengthen community and provider engagement and investment in the design process. It has also ensured that the new service designs are tailored to their regions. 

This “by the region, for the region” approach has led to regional service concepts which reflect the diverse and nuanced needs of the communities that Whānau Resilience providers serve. Some examples include: 

• wānanga 
• Pacific models of care 
• Kaupapa Māori programmes specifically for tāne Māori 
• holistic wrap-around services 
• a home-based support program led by and for ethnic communities 
• early intervention with rangitahi.

Fostering regional participation, leadership and decision making

We need to foster regional participation and decision making for Whānau Resilience to succeed. We are doing this by focusing on collaboration and giving providers the time to work together to listen to their local whānau voices, develop integrated solutions and create sustainable ways to stay connected. 

Key to the success of a regionally designed and delivered model is context and relationships. We know that what works in one area might not work in another. 

This means that underpinning the services that were designed and now being delivered is a shared understanding of the dynamics of the community, and the strengths of the place and people. 

Providers are continuing this through their local collaborations and annual community-led symposiums, keeping up the momentum of community leadership.

Fostering a learning environment to build capability

Creating ways to sustainably build capability is another key component of Whānau Resilience.

The design phase fostered an environment where everyone had the time to share and participate in learning opportunities to build localised regional capability.

During this transition to delivery phase, a Transition Team was established to support providers. The roles within this team were two National Change Leads (NCL) and Regional Transitional Leads (RTL).

The NCLs focused on responsiveness of the Crown to Māori and Pacific Whānau Resilience providers, and in particular supporting Māori and Pasifika workforce capability by:

• visiting Māori providers across the country to understand how Whānau Resilience can strengthen its approach
• walking alongside Pacific providers to build their workforce capability, identify training needs and connecting providers to sustain whanaungatanga/va fa’afeiloa’I and continuous learning.

The RTLs were responsible for the end-to-end management of the transition from design to service delivery for their region. This involved supporting providers to implement and embed new services, based on their service concepts.

This differed from the usual approach of bringing in design companies to lead the design.  By building the capability within the regions we are investing in, this enables people to develop and lead local solutions.

Longer-term contracts with FTE-based funding

Whānau Resilience has longer-term contracts of up to 10 years. This is a transformative shift aiming to increase stability and sustainability for providers. 

Whānau Resilience contracts included an initial phase for service design of around 12 months. This allowed time for providers to work together across their region to determine the needs of their communities and what is already available, test ideas and deliver a clear service concept now ready for implementation. 

The funding is also FTE-based, rather than funding by client volumes, which helps to make funding more equal and transparent for providers. 

Working to increase our evidence base and feedback loops

We want to know what impact Whānau Resilience is having for the people using the services and how we can keep improving. We’re working to improve how we capture and share what is making a difference, including through storytelling, reporting analysis, outcomes evaluation and integrating new research.

Evaluation of design and procurement process

A key part of trialling a new approach is testing and learning through evaluation.   

In 2021 MSD commissioned a kaupapa Māori evaluation of the procurement and co-design of Whānau Resilience by AIKO Consultants Limited and Kaipuke Consultants Limited. The evaluation aimed to understand how well the procurement and co-design processes of the Whānau Resilience programme were developed, implemented and experienced. 

The evaluation found that: “most stakeholders consider that MSD was innovative with its approach to Whānau Resilience and should continue in this direction. The findings also identify a number of opportunities to learn from.” 

The evaluation highlighted the importance of working in ways that are locally led, relationship-based, and grounded in the needs and strengths of whānau. Providers reported that the co-design processed supported their services to better reflect their communities and enabled stronger participation from Māori and Pacific organisations.

You can read the report: