Significant power shift vital for our mokopuna

The Green Party and its Te Mātāwaka caucus welcomes the release of the Oranga Tamariki ministerial advisory board’s report, which echoes what many inquiries have been saying for years.

“The Greens envision a future where our pēpi, tamariki and taiohi can grow up loved and valued, in warm dry homes and within whānau that are supported to live with the mana and dignity we all deserve,” says Green spokesperson for children Jan Logie.

“Communities are best placed to care for tamariki and their whānau, so it is a relief to hear Minister Davis has accepted all the recommendations of the advisory board and we can finally move towards a future for our mokopuna we can all be proud of.

“This is a significant shift of power from the Crown to whānau, hapū and iwi who have been failed by broken Treaty promises and systematic racism for far too long.

“We need to embed strength-based approaches and prevention across a range of government agencies and enable Māori collectives and communities to act instead of the overreliance on the ambulance at the bottom of the cliff through Oranga Tamariki. At the same time, we need social workers who are highly skilled, culturally competent, and connected with their communities. We’re calling on the Minister to establish the office of a Chief Social Worker and national Governance Board as soon as possible.”

Green Co-leader Marama Davidson says: “No child or young person in Aotearoa should experience a lack of awhi in state care. We look forward to working with our Government partners to re-centre whānau at the heart of caring for our mokopuna. The aspirations of this report are consistent with the work we are doing in the family and sexual violence space.

“The path forward is clear, now we need to do the mahi without delay.”

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