The organisers of a rally in Kaikohe organised by Ngāpuhi iwi say their kaupapa is clear: enough is enough when it comes to Māori mokopuna in state care.
About 200 people - both iwi and tauiwi - braved heavy rain and cold conditionsto attend Saturday’s rally at the Kaikohe Memorial Hall.
On Friday, Ngāpuhi leaders were among those who walked out of a meeting with the Prime Minister, saying the coalition Government is running roughshod over iwi Māori.
Ngāpuhi Social Services chief executive Dr Moana Eruera said she was “really pleased” with the turnout on Saturday, which comes ahead of a hīkoi to Parliament today.
Eruera and whānau counsellor for the Family Court in Kaikohe, Alva Pomare, were heading to Wellington to each make an oral submission on legislation repealing Section 7AA of the Oranga Tamariki Act.
Currently, it legally binds the agency to improve outcomes for Māori and consider the whakapapa of tamariki in care.
One of the attendees at the rally on Saturday. Photo / Supplied
Ngāpuhi was also organising a rally at Parliament grounds, ahead of this afternoon’s submissions.
Saturday’s rally was a call to action, Eruera said.
“For our own Ngāpuhi people, so they understand, one, the kaupapa, two, they can hear some of the issues we’ll be raising and we wanted to listen to them as well about what messages they want us to take down.
“Three, [it] is a call action to the Crown to resource, to devolve and invest in Ngāpuhi solutions for tamariki and mokopuna inside the care and protection, and youth justice, system.”
Eruera said last week’s release of the Whanaketia report highlighted the neglect, abuse and violence some of those children had endured.
Two survivors attended Saturday’s rally.
“They demonstrated how whakapapa can be disconnected. For many of those survivors they whakapapa to Ngāpuhi but, for many, their whakapapa has been severed - they were removed, and they were never reunited with their whakapapa lines, with safe Ngāpuhi adults.”
As of April 30, there were 827 Ngāpuhi children in the care of the state. Eruera said this was 29% of all Māori tamariki in state care.
“We’re treating this as a crisis. It’s not a new issue but it’s been re-triggered by the release of abuse in state care.”
“If 7AA is removed... it will remove really practical ways of holding the Crown to account and also enabling us to be able to take responsibility for our own solutions.”
“We’ve been trying to engage the Crown with some of those solutions in recent years, and while we get a little bit of traction it’s just not enough to support us to manage the crisis we’ve got right now.”
As of April 30, 827 Ngāpuhi children are in the care of the state, 29% of all Māori tamariki in state care. Photo / Supplied
Those attending the rally said they fear these concerns would fall on deaf ears, she added.
“Our people are really cynical that anything is going to make any difference.”
“We have to keep trying and I’m committed to keep trying to use all pathways available to us.
“We want the Crown to engage with us on a real commitment to Ngāpuhi around enabling us to be responsible for our own solutions for our mokopuna.
“It was a strong message from our people this morning, saying ‘enough korero, we just want action’.”
