April 18, 2024
Oranga Tamariki cuts undermine culture change plan
The Public Service Association’s kaihautu Māori says Māori specialist roles make up a significant number of the 632 jobs being cut at Oranga Tamariki.
Janice Panoho says with more than two thirds of percent of the vulnerable children and young people in the care of the agency being rangatahi and tamariki Māori, that will have a huge impact.
Those specialists were fundamental to the agency’s supposed intention to shift its practise and uplift cultural capability, and it will also affect its ability to build relationships and partnerships with iwi, hapu and whānau.
“There’s no evidence or understanding about why these roles are no longer required or why now is the right time for Oranga Tamariki to slash Maori specialist roles. Maori continue to be overrepresented And yet we are going to talk the funding away from the people who most need it,” Ms Panoho says.
The number of public servants affected by the Government’s purge means they are heading into a tough job market.