Child policy ‘disturbs’ Davis
Minister calls out Oranga Tamariki over removals
Children’s Minister Kelvin Davis says he is disturbed by reports of Ma¯ori foster children being removed from families which they thought were permanent placements.
The newly-appointed minister said he called in Oranga Tamariki officials early yesterday and was getting a further briefing in the afternoon.
Newsroom reported yesterday four Ma¯ori children who were removed from a violent home by Oranga Tamariki in 2018 and placed with a non-ma¯ori foster family were again removed in September, back to their extended whanau.
The children had been led to believe they had found a permanent foster home, only to be retraumatised by being uplifted again. It was part of Oranga Tamariki’s reversal of its controversial uplifts policy.
“I was disturbed by what I saw,” Davis told the Herald. “It was absolutely heartbreaking. I called Oranga Tamariki in this morning for a ‘please explain’ and I still have questions so I have requested an urgent briefing which I should get in a couple of hours.”
After widespread criticism of its uplifts of predominantly Ma¯ori children, Oranga Tamariki changed its approach last year.
It has reduced the number of “without notice” uplifts and introduced additional checks. It also redoubled efforts to make sure any Ma¯ori children who were removed from their parents were rehomed within their extended whanau or hapu.
The minister said the case showed the importance of building a genuine partnership between the Crown and Ma¯ori, which was his top priority in the new portfolio.
“We just can’t react to stuff. We’ve got to have a plan and we’ve got to do it right and it’s got to be better than what we’ve had previously.”
Oranga Tamariki has already been under intense scrutiny this week, with chief executive Grainne Moss yesterday dismissing speculation she was about to resign.
That speculation was partly fuelled by Whanau Ora Minister
Peeni Henare, who told Ma¯ori Television on Tuesday night that Moss could be stepping down “in a couple of hours”.
Davis, who Moss reprimanded Henare comments.
“Peeni and I are whanaunga, closely related, we are mates, we’re colleagues,” he said. “It’s only appropriate we have the discussion [that] I’m the Minister for Children, so it’s me that speaks on those issues.”
However, Davis himself is yet to publicly back Moss, who has led Oranga Tamariki since it was created in 2016. “There are issues with the leadership and I’m handling them,” the minister said.
“But let’s be clear, the changes we need to make in Oranga Tamariki are bigger than the leadership.
“I’m not her employer, I’m not in the habit of discussing people’s performance in public. I don’t think it’s either fair or appropriate.”
Asked what needed to occur before he backed Moss, he said he needed evidence of a “real, genuine partnership” between Oranga Tamariki and Ma¯ori.
“It needs to be determined with Ma¯ori. And that’s the direction that I want to see. Everything has to be centred around children. We need to look at prevention and early intervention rather than reacting to events.
“And the workforce needs to be supported. That’s the leadership I want to see.”
In a historic moment, Moss on Wednesday made significant concessions about the ways in which Oranga Tamariki and its predecessor had failed Ma¯ori families.
She said structural racism was “a feature” of the care and protection system, and it should have been tackled head-on when Oranga Tamariki was established. —
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