Harsh reality

A number of people, including former government minister Tariana Turia and Greens Party coleader Marama Davidson, marched on Parliament the other day protesting at the way Ma¯ ori children are being taken from their families by Oranga Tamariki.

Turia seems very strong in her belief that these children are better off with their own wha¯ nau or at the very least ‘‘where their whakapapa lies’’.

Could Turia please explain to me how this helped (among many others) the Kahui twins? It appears to me that rather than intervene and protect these helpless little babies, wha¯ nau closed ranks after the event and protected the killer. A murderer remains free to this day.

This appears to make a mockery of Davidson’s statement that ‘‘the torture and abuse at the hands of the state must stop’’.

Is it not a little difficult to reconcile the claims of these two with the harsh reality?

Danny Mickleson, Taihape