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A former state ward says Oranga Tamariki seems to be as bad at talking to families as its predecessors.
The child welfare agency is coming under renewed scrutiny after the release of a newsroom documentary around the attempted uplift of a baby from Hawkes Bay Hospital.
South Auckland community leader Martin Cooper says when he was taken from his family in Tuakau in 1974, there was no discussion with his parents.
He says the Hawkes Bay case exposes Oranga Tamariki's lack of connection with families and communities.
"Because the parents had issues, you don't take it out on the children. What they failed to do is talk to the parents or hold a hui of the whānau to see if they can resolve things that way. No, they applied the Act. They're not very good at talking to the families," Mr Cooper says.
The fact Oranga Tamariki is taking three Māori babies a week is totally unacceptable.
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