The Whanau Development Project piloted a devolved funding approach that involved the Ministry of Social Development providing funding and support for whanau, hapu, iwi and Maori communities to assess their own needs and develop and deliver local initiatives to meet those needs. The project operated from 1 July 2000 to 30 June 2004.
Evaluation results show that the Whanau Development Project has been beneficial for whanau and their communities in most of the sites in which it operated. The project has contributed to a range of positive outcomes, including locally designed, implemented and managed initiatives. Communities welcomed the opportunity to identify their own whanau development aspirations and develop initiatives to put their ideas into action.