Newshub can reveal there is no additional funding in this year's budget for Whānau Ora.
A Newshub source says Minister for Whānau Ora Peeni Henare gave commissioning agencies a heads up last night over a Zoom call and told them he had put in a Budget bid.
If that's the case, it appears to have been rejected by Finance Minister Grant Robertson in a Budget with high expectations to deliver for Māori, especially in housing.
In last year's Budget, the Government topped up Whānau Ora with $136 million over the two years. That money is still flowing through this year but providers had been hoping for additional funding.
Of that, $53 million went to the COVID-19 response and $73 million for the three commissioning agencies.
This will come as a major blow to Iwi and Māori providers especially after Henare sung their praises in a recent Newshub Nation interview.
"We smashed it in the last 14 months with respect to COVID - Whānau Ora has been the highest performing, one of the highest performing portfolios in this government as far as I’m concerned."
