NZ Herald
  • Home
  • Latest news
  • Video
  • New Zealand
  • Sport
  • World
  • Business
  • Entertainment
  • Podcasts
  • Quizzes
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Travel
  • Viva
  • Weather forecasts

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • New Zealand
    • All New Zealand
    • Crime
    • Politics
    • Education
    • Open Justice
    • Scam Update
    • The Great NZ Road Trip
  • On The Up
  • World
    • All World
    • Australia
    • Asia
    • UK
    • United States
    • Middle East
    • Europe
    • Pacific
  • Business
    • All Business
    • MarketsSharesCurrencyCommoditiesStock TakesCrypto
    • Markets with Madison
    • Media Insider
    • Business analysis
    • Personal financeKiwiSaverInterest ratesTaxInvestment
    • EconomyInflationGDPOfficial cash rateEmployment
    • Small business
    • Business reportsMood of the BoardroomProject AucklandSustainable business and financeCapital markets reportAgribusiness reportInfrastructure reportDynamic business
    • Deloitte Top 200 Awards
    • CompaniesAged CareAgribusinessAirlinesBanking and financeConstructionEnergyFreight and logisticsHealthcareManufacturingMedia and MarketingRetailTelecommunicationsTourism
  • Opinion
    • All Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Editorials
    • Business analysis
    • Premium opinion
    • Letters to the editor
  • Sport
    • All Sport
    • OlympicsParalympics
    • RugbySuper RugbyNPCAll BlacksBlack FernsRugby sevensSchool rugby
    • CricketBlack CapsWhite Ferns
    • Racing
    • NetballSilver Ferns
    • LeagueWarriorsNRL
    • FootballWellington PhoenixAuckland FCAll WhitesFootball FernsEnglish Premier League
    • GolfNZ Open
    • MotorsportFormula 1
    • Boxing
    • UFC
    • BasketballNBABreakersTall BlacksTall Ferns
    • Tennis
    • Cycling
    • Athletics
    • SailingAmerica's CupSailGP
    • Rowing
  • Lifestyle
    • All Lifestyle
    • Viva - Food, fashion & beauty
    • Society Insider
    • Royals
    • Sex & relationships
    • Food & drinkRecipesRecipe collectionsRestaurant reviewsRestaurant bookings
    • Health & wellbeing
    • Fashion & beauty
    • Pets & animals
    • The Selection - Shop the trendsShop fashionShop beautyShop entertainmentShop giftsShop home & living
    • Milford's Investing Place
  • Entertainment
    • All Entertainment
    • TV
    • MoviesMovie reviews
    • MusicMusic reviews
    • BooksBook reviews
    • Culture
    • ReviewsBook reviewsMovie reviewsMusic reviewsRestaurant reviews
  • Travel
    • All Travel
    • News
    • New ZealandNorthlandAucklandWellingtonCanterburyOtago / QueenstownNelson-TasmanBest NZ beaches
    • International travelAustraliaPacific IslandsEuropeUKUSAAfricaAsia
    • Rail holidays
    • Cruise holidays
    • Ski holidays
    • Luxury travel
    • Adventure travel
  • Kāhu Māori news
  • Environment
    • All Environment
    • Our Green Future
  • Talanoa Pacific news
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Property Insider
    • Interest rates tracker
    • Residential property listings
    • Commercial property listings
  • Health
  • Technology
    • All Technology
    • AI
    • Social media
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology
    • Opinion
    • Audio & podcasts
  • Weather forecasts
    • All Weather forecasts
    • Kaitaia
    • Whangārei
    • Dargaville
    • Auckland
    • Thames
    • Tauranga
    • Hamilton
    • Whakatāne
    • Rotorua
    • Tokoroa
    • Te Kuiti
    • Taumaranui
    • Taupō
    • Gisborne
    • New Plymouth
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Dannevirke
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Levin
    • Paraparaumu
    • Masterton
    • Wellington
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Blenheim
    • Westport
    • Reefton
    • Kaikōura
    • Greymouth
    • Hokitika
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
    • Wānaka
    • Oamaru
    • Queenstown
    • Dunedin
    • Gore
    • Invercargill
  • Meet the journalists
  • Promotions & competitions
  • OneRoof property listings
  • Driven car news

Puzzles & Quizzes

  • Puzzles
    • All Puzzles
    • Sudoku
    • Code Cracker
    • Crosswords
    • Cryptic crossword
    • Wordsearch
  • Quizzes
    • All Quizzes
    • Morning quiz
    • Afternoon quiz
    • Sports quiz

Regions

  • Northland
    • All Northland
    • Far North
    • Kaitaia
    • Kerikeri
    • Kaikohe
    • Bay of Islands
    • Whangarei
    • Dargaville
    • Kaipara
    • Mangawhai
  • Auckland
  • Waikato
    • All Waikato
    • Hamilton
    • Coromandel & Hauraki
    • Matamata & Piako
    • Cambridge
    • Te Awamutu
    • Tokoroa & South Waikato
    • Taupō & Tūrangi
  • Bay of Plenty
    • All Bay of Plenty
    • Katikati
    • Tauranga
    • Mount Maunganui
    • Pāpāmoa
    • Te Puke
    • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua
  • Hawke's Bay
    • All Hawke's Bay
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Havelock North
    • Central Hawke's Bay
    • Wairoa
  • Taranaki
    • All Taranaki
    • Stratford
    • New Plymouth
    • Hāwera
  • Manawatū - Whanganui
    • All Manawatū - Whanganui
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Manawatū
    • Tararua
    • Horowhenua
  • Wellington
    • All Wellington
    • Kapiti
    • Wairarapa
    • Upper Hutt
    • Lower Hutt
  • Nelson & Tasman
    • All Nelson & Tasman
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Tasman
  • Marlborough
  • West Coast
  • Canterbury
    • All Canterbury
    • Kaikōura
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
  • Otago
    • All Otago
    • Oamaru
    • Dunedin
    • Balclutha
    • Alexandra
    • Queenstown
    • Wanaka
  • Southland
    • All Southland
    • Invercargill
    • Gore
    • Stewart Island
  • Gisborne

Media

  • Video
    • All Video
    • NZ news video
    • Business news video
    • Politics news video
    • Sport video
    • World news video
    • Lifestyle video
    • Entertainment video
    • Travel video
    • Markets with Madison
    • Kea Kids news
  • Podcasts
    • All Podcasts
    • The Front Page
    • On the Tiles
    • Ask me Anything
    • The Little Things
    • Cooking the Books
  • Cartoons
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • What the Actual
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / Kahu

Researchers call for kaupapa Māori approach to turn around poverty, Oranga Tamariki care disparities

Michael  Neilson
By Michael Neilson
Senior political reporter, NZ Herald·AAP·
5 Jun, 2019 03:04 AM5 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

Researchers are calling for a kaupapa Māori approach to tackle youth disparities. Photo / File

Researchers are calling for a kaupapa Māori approach to tackle youth disparities. Photo / File

Researchers are calling for greater partnership with Māori and a more whānau-based approach to tackle disparities in poverty and youth outcomes.

In an article published today by Ngā Pae o te Māramatanga (Māori Centre of Research Excellence) researchers called for a kaupapa Māori model for young Māori who came to the attention of Oranga Tamariki.

Researchers said a new law coming into force on July 1, requiring the chief executive of Oranga Tamariki to recognise and provide for a practical commitment to the Treaty of Waitangi, gave an opportunity to develop more appropriate measures for Māori, rather than typically Western and Eurocentric measures of well-being.

The law change included an explicit requirement to set measurable outcomes for Māori children and young persons.

The original Children, Young Persons, and Their Families Act 1989 made provision
for Māori children to be viewed and cared for in the context of their whānau, hapū and iwi, and provided a platform for the practical application of tikanga Māori in decision-making.

But despite the potential, in their paper Care and Protection of Tamariki Māori in the Family Court System researchers argued the Act failed Māori children, with the system in practice at odds with Māori values and "lacking respect for whānau, hapū and iwi, and as culturally alienating, disempowering and judgmental".

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

While the number of Pākehā children in state care decreased, the opposite was true for Māori.

In 2015 although Māori made up 30 per cent of the annual birth rate, 57 per cent of children within the-then Child, Youth and Family system by the age of five years were Māori, and six out of 10 children who remained in the system and ended up in state care were Māori.

These disparities continued into the youth justice system, where in 2015 although Māori made up 25 per cent of those aged 10 to 16 years in New Zealand, they comprised 60 per cent of those involved in the youth justice system.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

This percentage increased further along the system, with Māori comprising seven out of every 10 young people placed in a secure youth justice residence by court order.

The researchers said kaupapa Māori models provided tools, grounded in tikanga and mātauranga Māori (knowledge/science), for measuring outcomes in a culturally safe and appropriate way.

Key themes included a focus on whānau, taking a more holistic approach rather than single measures, comparing Māori outcomes with Māori over time rather than other ethnicities, focusing on strengths rather than deficits, more hapū and whānau measures rather than individual, and promoting tino rangatiratanga or Māori control.

To achieve these goals, researchers recommended establishing more strategic partnerships with iwi and Māori organisations.

Discover more

New Zealand

Call for Air NZ to change 'racist' tā moko policy

20 Mar 11:13 PM
New Zealand

'Virtual refugees': The hapū that refused to die

07 May 01:00 AM
Kahu

Ngāpuhi: A multimillion-dollar settlement delayed by division

10 May 03:00 AM
Kahu

Māori youth say better cultural awareness needed in schools

07 May 06:02 AM

The call echos comments from Children's Commissioner Andrew Becroft, who said the July 1 law change allowed for a "revolution" in caring for Māori youth.

"Not only partnership, but devolving power, resources and responsibility, more Māori leaders, embed the Māori worldview, and have care by Māori for Māori," Becroft said.

A second article published by the centre today, Precariat Māori Households Today, called for broad societal and policy change to enable Māori whanau to be free from the cycle of employment, income and rights insecurity.

In 2016, about 30 per cent of Māori fell into the category of "precariat", defined as citizens who found themselves in and out of secure work, unable to make ends meet and constrained by aspects of welfare. This was compared to one in six of the general population.

Through interviews with Māori whānau in need and community workers researchers found those seeking assistance often felt blamed for the being poor, that it was a result of their own "reckless choices", and that seeking assistance was often "unobtainable" and a "humiliating" process.

"Blame is stereotypically laid at the feet of promiscuous single mothers, work-shy delinquents and 'defective' citizens lacking skills and motivation," the report said.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

"When state welfare and correctional systems punitively converge, the outcome is that those receiving government assistance are managed and controlled in dehumanising ways that emulate the treatment of criminal offenders."

Researchers found in most cases precariat members would have numerous engagements with various government and non-government agencies, each time having to recount their life story, each time wearing them down further.

"All these elements combine to create fear, anxiety, humiliation and trauma for whānau who are seeking assistance at an already highly stressful time."

They found Māori precariat members were more responsive to organisations that took a more caring approach and gave more time.

Precariat whānau member Miriama said services she chose to go to had a more indigenous worldview, where she felt less judged.

"They live and breathe that holistic view. Indigenous people get Indigenous people. So
the assumption and the judgment is minimised... it makes things more effective and humane."

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

The solution to poverty was not simply employment, rather the researchers urged the Government to co-design a new inclusive approach reflecting Whānau Ora principles, and to work with whānau, and those who worked alongside them as advocates and service providers.

"Frameworks founded upon and driven by Māori cultural principles that prioritise care, relationship, unity, service and kindness can act as a starting point for the structural shifts necessary for addressing inequity, which in turn open up significant possibilities for whānau."

Save

    Share this article

Latest from New Zealand

New Zealand

Kāinga Ora appears not to care about mistreated dogs - neighbour

13 May 09:57 AM
New Zealand|crime

'Investigation cannot be compromised': Top cop accepts McSkimming resignation 'raises questions'

13 May 08:12 AM
New Zealand

'Truly amazing': Schick family launches fundraiser for emergency services after tragedy

13 May 08:07 AM

One tiny baby’s fight to survive

sponsored
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from New Zealand

Kāinga Ora appears not to care about mistreated dogs - neighbour

Kāinga Ora appears not to care about mistreated dogs - neighbour

13 May 09:57 AM

Three dogs in Bucklands Beach were seized and euthanised because of neglect.

'Investigation cannot be compromised': Top cop accepts McSkimming resignation 'raises questions'

'Investigation cannot be compromised': Top cop accepts McSkimming resignation 'raises questions'

13 May 08:12 AM
'Truly amazing': Schick family launches fundraiser for emergency services after tragedy

'Truly amazing': Schick family launches fundraiser for emergency services after tragedy

13 May 08:07 AM
'You need help': Judge urges man to stop drinking after 13th drink-driving conviction

'You need help': Judge urges man to stop drinking after 13th drink-driving conviction

13 May 08:00 AM
Connected workers are safer workers 
sponsored

Connected workers are safer workers 

NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • NZ Herald e-editions
  • Daily puzzles & quizzes
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Subscribe to the NZ Herald newspaper
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • What the Actual
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven CarGuide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • NZME Events
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP