August 02, 2023
Mokopuna authority switch for Oranga Tamariki
Te Pāti Māori wants to shift $1 billion of Oranga Tamariki’s $1.5 billion budget to a new independent Mokopuna Māori Authority.
Co-leader Debbie Ngarewa-Packer says state care has been used as a colonising tool to sever mokopuna Māori from their whakapapa and to undermine culture and sovereignty.
It has also exposed them to abuse and racism.
She says the new authority will establish a partnership network across hapū, iwi and Māori organisations to ensure mokopuna Māori remain connected to their whakapapa.
Because 70 percent of kids in state care are Māori, 70 percent of the budget needs to shift.
While the authority is being established, it would reform Oranga Tamariki, close down its care and protection residences, and practices such as uplifting mokopuna without whānau, hapū, iwi consent.