INDEPENDENT NEWS

Te Pāti Māori: Tribunal Findings Prove Need For Oranga Tamariki Overhaul

Published: Fri 30 Apr 2021 01:32 PM
Te Pāti Māori Co-leader Debbie Ngarewa-Packer is renewing her call for a complete overhaul of Oranga Tamariki in response to the Waitangi Tribunal’s report, released today, which found that the disparity for Māori has resulted from “a failure by the Crown to honour the guarantee to Māori of the right of cultural continuity embodied in the guarantee of tino rangatiratanga over their kāinga”.
“The Waitangi Tribunal findings prove that Oranga Tamariki has fundamentally failed to uphold its obligations to Te Tiriti o Waitangi and must be completely overhauled from the ground up,” said Mrs Ngarewa-Packer.
“It’s not surprising that the Tribunal has confirmed the need for our proposed by Māori, to Māori, for Māori approach to child protection.
“The Crown does not have the right under Te Tiriti to remove mokopuna Māori from their whānau, and yet between 2000 and 2018 the incidence of Māori aged under 16 entering state care rose from one in 125 Māori children to one in 64 Māori children.
“The greatest challenges for the Government and new Chief Executive Tā Wira Gardiner will be returning power and resources to whānau, hapū and iwi and implementing Te Tiriti o Waitangi at every level of the organisation.
“The Crown must not get this wrong again, too much intergenerational harm has already be done. Our people have the tikanga and solutions to ensure our babies are looked after – its time Oranga Tamariki recognised that,” said Mrs Ngarewa-Packer.

Next in New Zealand politics

Concerns Conveyed To China Over Cyber Activity
By: New Zealand Government
GDP Decline Reinforces Government’s Fiscal Plan
By: New Zealand Government
New Zealand Provides Further Humanitarian Support To Gaza And The West Bank
By: New Zealand Government
High Court Judge Appointed
By: New Zealand Government
Parliamentary Network Breached By The PRC
By: New Zealand Government
Tax Cuts Now Even More Irresponsible
By: New Zealand Labour Party
View as: DESKTOP | MOBILE © Scoop Media