A damning review has found that Oranga Tamariki is a "weak, disconnected and unfit" agency - and the Government says it will cease the controversial tactic of child uplifts.
"By Māori, for Māori" transformation is the bare minimum expected by Te Pāti Māori from a high-level review into Oranga Tamariki being released today.
Oranga Tamariki Minister Kelvin Davis announced the review in January, just days after embattled chief executive Grainne Moss resigned.
It followed a prolonged period of intense scrutiny and criticism since the agency's inception in 2017, particularly around the disproportionate number of tamariki Māori in state care and their treatment.
The issues came to a head in 2019 after Newsroom published a video of the uplift of a week-old Māori baby in Hastings.
That event led to no less than five damning reviews of Oranga Tamariki and its child uplift practices: an internal review, and inquiries by Whānau Ora, the Chief Ombudsman, the Children's Commissioner, and the Waitangi Tribunal.
The Waitangi Tribunal, in findings released in April, called on the Crown to step down after finding Oranga Tamariki to be a "foundation of structural racism".
The tribunal recommended a Māori Transition Authority be established and called on the Crown to support this establishment for Māori to lead the way.
Maori Party co-leader Debbie Ngarewa-Packer says a "by Māori, for Māori" approach needs to be at the heart of any changes to Oranga Tamariki. Photo / Mark Mitchell
Te Pāti Māori co-leader Debbie Ngarewa-Packer said they were expecting a "by Māori, for Māori" approach to be adopted as part of any changes.
"That is the absolute minimum. Despite its name, Oranga Tamariki has had huge systemic failings, validated by review after review.
"But change and devolution needs to be something that is not just philosophical, but properly resourced.
While Te Pāti Māori was not in Parliament last term its members were active in protests against the agency and calling for reform.
Ahead of the election Te Pāti Māori campaigned on 60 to 70 per cent resources going to Māori under a new Mokopuna Māori Authority, reflecting the proportion of tamariki Māori in state care.
Ngarewa-Packer said they expected the board to have gathered feedback from across Aotearoa, and any changes to further reflect the "uniqueness of whānau and hapū".
"It needs to be ground up, and centre whānau and hapū.
"They need to be resourced and empowered to restore their mana, be able to reconnect our children back to their whānau, their whakapapa, and rebuild the community that existed before it was dismantled."
The agency was established in 2017 to address long-standing issues at predecessor Child, Youth and Family Services, while reducing the disparities experienced by tamariki Māori.
Prior to her resignation, Moss said the changes called for were happening but would take time.
Oranga Tamariki Minister Kelvin Davis. Photo / Mark Mitchell
The agency has been undergoing a range of more rapid changes recently, dramatically reducing the number of children in its care and uplifts, increasing the number of social workers and enacting partnerships with iwi and hapū.
Moss's resignation was regarded by some as a necessary part of this transformation, despite her active role in securing many of those partnerships with iwi and hapū.
However, the changes had not dampened calls for a complete overhaul of the agency.
In August Gardiner stepped aside due to health reasons, with Chappie Te Kani, Oranga Tamariki's acting deputy chief executive for governance and engagement, taking over.
A six-person board, chaired by Matthew Tukaki, has led the review to advise Davis, who became minister after the 2020 election, on the agency's relationships with families, whānau, and Māori; professional social work practices; and organisational culture.
Tukaki was joined Dame Naida Glavish, who was on the Māori Party list in the 2020 election, and chaired the governance group that oversaw the Whānau Ora review into Oranga Tamariki, which revealed hundreds of stories of babies being removed from their whānau, some involving armed police turning up without notice.
