November 22, 2020
Oranga Tamariki unfixable – Childen’s Commissioner
The Children’s Commissioner says Oranga Tamariki is incapable of delivering care and protection in ways that will be most effective for tamariki Māori and whānau, and nothing short of total transformation will do.
In the second part of its Te Kuku o Te Manawa report released today, Andrew Becroft recommends a ‘by Māori, for Māori’ approach with responsibility, resources and power transferred from the state to appropriate Māori entities, as determined by Māori.
He say while Oranga Tamariki has acknowledged a general commitment to sharing power and resources with iwi and Māori, history has shown the task has been beyond any state structure.
Oranga Tamariki chief executive Grainne Moss says the issues identified in the report were similar to those highlighted in previous reviews.
She says over the past two years there has been a 50 percent drop in the number of pēpi coming into care because of the agency’s commitment to working alongside Māori to support tamariki.
Ms Moss says the recommendations of Te Kuku o Te Manawa will be assessed alongside the findings of the Waitangi Tribunal urgent inquiry, but any further changes to the law were a decision for the Government to make, not Oranga Tamariki.
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