March 06, 2017
Whanau clause removal threatens effectiveness of law
The Child Poverty Action Group says part of the Oranga Tamariki Legislation Bill stating an intention to improve outcomes for Maori children was meaningless when set against the rest of the bill.
Submissions on the bill setting up the replacement for Child, Youth and Family closed on Friday.
In its submission, the group said the well-being and best interests of children is threatened by the removal of a clause requiring that priority be given to whanau, hapu and iwi connections when placing children in state care.
Associate Professor Mike O’Brien, the group’s social security spokesperson, says there has been widespread Maori opposition to the removal of the whanau first clause.
The evidence is that taking children away from their whanau and cutting them off from their culture is overwhelmingly detrimental to them in the long term.
He says a better way of ensuring more positive outcomes for Maori children would be to restore whanau first and acknowledge the role poverty plays in poor outcomes for children and take steps to address that.
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