February 24, 2022
Oranga Tamariki slammed not just grizzles
One of the claimants in the Waitangi Tribunal Oranga Tamariki Claim says a Bill that is supposed to fix the child protection agency only tweaks at the edges.
Lady Tureiti Moxon from Te Kōhao Health in Kirikiriroa told the Social Services and Community Select Committee yesterday that the Oversight of Oranga Tamariki System and Children and Young People’s Commission Bill will not change a broken system.
She rejects the contention of Children’s Minister Kelvin Davis its critics are looking for something to grizzle about.
“There are so many māmās and whānau who are trying to get their mokopuna back, their tamariki back. And yet every single barrier, every single hoop is put in their way. There’s got to be a better way. If they are ready to have their children back, give them back. Stop holding on to them and believing a stranger is better at looking after them,” she says.
Lady Tureiti Moxon says there’s still more than 6000 children and young people in state care.