July 28, 2022
Oranga Tamariki watchdogs rationalised
Social Development Minister Carmel Sepuloni is rejecting criticisms of the Oranga Tamariki Oversight Bill.
Legal academics say the bill is inconsistent with commitments under te Tiriti o Waitangi and the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, and Save the Children says children themselves have not been consulted.
Ms Sepuloni says rather than weaken oversight, as is being claimed, it will ensure the various agencies are clear about their roles.
“So we have the Children’s Commission for advocacy. We’ve got the Independent Children’s Monitor, which has already been set up, which is doing the monitoring, and then we have the Ombudsman who deals with the complaints side of things. That system has actually been in place for quite some time. However it’s been unclear and it hasn’t been working together in the way that is most effective for the young people we need it to work for,” she says.
The bill passed its second reading yesterday without the support of the Greens.