Iwi opens health centre

Dunedin’s first iwi-led community health centre is being praised as a pioneering example of Whanau Ora in action.

The centre in South Dunedin– called Te Kaika, ‘the Village’ – was officially opened at a ceremony attended by 150 people last week.

Classrooms of a former primary school have been transformed into clinics for GP, dental, physiotherapy and social services all in one building.

The centre, which has taken three years to create, provides larger-than-normal spaces for family consultations, family meeting rooms and low-cost services in one of the most deprived areas in the country.

The project is a collaboration between Ngai Tahu, Otago University and Te Putahitanga o Te Waipounamu – the South Island Whanau Ora Commissioning Agency.

Dame Tariana Turia, the architect of the government’s Whanau Ora policy, spoke at the opening, saying Te Kaika was a powerful project that reflected the vision of the Whanau Ora policy.

The project is unique and pioneering and the kind of iwi-led health project she had always hoped for.