Prime Minister Christopher Luxon is rejecting the views of experts working in child health and welfare on the positive impact of section 7AA of the Oranga Tamariki Act.
Submitters including Children’s Commissioner Claire Achmad the Children’s Commissioner and representatives from Starship children’s hospital have told the select committee considering the repeal of 7AA that the requirement to acknowledge whakapapa is critical to recognising and reducing harm to mokopuna Māori in care.
“I disagree. We are taking this very seriously. These are our most vulnerable children that end up in state care. They’ve come from horrific situations. We’re just making sure the priority is really clear. We want everybody in the system to say ‘your first and only priority is to make sure those children are in safe, good, loving, protective homes,” Mr Luxon says.
Dr Ella Cullen, Director of Mental Health and Wellbeing Commission they say connection to culture and whakapapa is central to rangatahi mental health and wellbeing.
Former children’s minister Tracey Martin, who championed the implementation of 7AA which had been brought in by the previous National Government, says it entrenched a committment to a social investment model that had the potential to make Oranga Tamariki an improvement of its predecessor, the Child Youth and Family Service.
