Parents reject Govt review

The parents of a baby at the centre of an attempted removal by Oranga Tamariki are refusing to be part of a government review, saying they don’t trust it will be fair or independent.

The inquiry will look into the attempted removal of a six-dayold baby from its 19-year-old mother at Hawke’s Bay Hospital.

Advocates for the family say the review lacks credibility.

In May, Hawke’s Bay Hospital was put into lockdown as social workers tried to take the newborn from its mother. It sparked wider complaints about the organisation’s practices, calls for the name Oranga Tamariki – meaning protecting the wellbeing of children – to be stripped from the it, and several reviews into the removal of children.

Ikaroa-Rawhiti Labour MP Meka Whaitiri, who is a spokesperson for the family at the centre of the row, said the family’s decision spoke volumes. ‘‘It’s a bit silly if you don’t have the family at the heart of the uplift case not being interviewed or not agreeing to be interviewed, it says a lot.’’

She said the internal review announced by the Minister for Children, Tracey Martin, was not what the family asked for.

‘‘The family don’t trust the process, the internal process, the family and those who are advocating for them actually sought an independent inquiry so the family would feel safe and that their concerns were being taken on board,’’ Whaitiri said.

‘‘So to this point I’ve been told the family have not agreed to be interviewed as part of the Oranga Tamariki review.’’ – RNZ