“If You Do One Thing – They Should Give Those Babies Back”

Select Committee Receive Impassioned Plea in Oranga Tamariki Bill Hearing

The Social Services and Community Select Committee have been told that the proposed the Oversight of Oranga Tamariki System and Children and Young People's Commission Bill will not change a fundamentally broken system.

“Please hear the cries of our parents and people, who are saying ‘enough’. This Bill just tweaks. If you do one thing, they should give those babies back,” says Lady Tureiti Moxon, Chair of the National Urban Māori Authority.

She joins the Hon. Dame Tariana Turia, Dame Iritana Tāwhiwhiranga, Dame Areta Koopu,  and Merepeka Raukawa-Tait who have challenged the Bill by raising issues of concern in their collective submission.

They’ve endorsed the recommendations in He Paharakeke by the Waitangi Tribunal. Their analysis is that Oranga Tamariki has made no real progress on the recommendations:

They believe Oranga Tamariki continues to wield huge control over whānau Māori.

“There has not been a halt to stop section 78 without notice applications. It is permanent removal and must stop,” says Lady Tureiti Moxon, Chair of the National Urban Māori Authority.

The group is united in their dissatisfaction about the practice which they believe should’ve ceased while 

changes happened within Oranga Tamariki. They’ve also written to Minister Kelvin Davis elevating their concerns.

“We are also suggesting that the Family Court consider the successful Rangatahi court model for all decisions involving tamariki Māori.”

All are concerned about Family Group Conferences still being used to coerce whānau.  

“Thousands of pēpi, tamariki and pakeke Māori remain separated from their whakapapa. Yet, there have been no steps to address those taken in the past two decades by Oranga Tamariki which must change.”

Merepeka Raukawa-Tait in her closing remarks reminded the Select Committee of the need to trust.

“The government should start to develop trust in whānau, the advocates, and those people who have been on the receiving end of treatment of this organisation. Then it will see the value of those putting up alternative suggestions."

The group continues to strongly advocate for the right of Māori to have tino rangatiratanga over their own whānau, and for Māori to lead transformation of the Oranga Tamariki system that has caused so much harm on Māori.

© Scoop Media