May 14, 2019
Power shift needed to protect tamariki
Māori providers in Tāmaki Makaurau want Oranga Tamariki to give up some of the power it holds over Māori children and whānau.
The providers under the mantle of the Tāmaki Collective met this week with the children’s ministry’s senior executive team and chief executive Grainne (rhymes with Sonya) Moss to discuss ways they could partner.
Tipene Lemon from Ngāti Whātua social service provider Kāhui Tūkaha says the discussion was about partnership, but there is a lack of trust dating back to Child, Youth and Family and its predecessors.
He says the providers want time and resources to develop alternate solutions and find what works best for Māori – and that could be a challenge for the ministry.
"It is being able to relinquish that power and say what do we need to do differently to get the kind of social outcomes we want as Tāmaki and that Oranga Tamaki desires too, but it does mean relinquishing power," Mr Lemon says.
He says the solutions exist in communities
Copyright © 2019, UMA Broadcasting Ltd: www.waateanews.com