In its first of its kind report, the Aroturuki Tamariki Independent Children’s Monitor has found tamariki and rangatahi Māori shows the more involvement young people had with the system, the worse their long-term outcomes.
A state care system consistently failling Māori, thats one of the conclusions found in another report on Oranga Tamariki’s performance.
Aroturuki CEO Arrun Jones is certain that more upfront interventions are needed.
“This report is a story of need and it’s a call for action to invest early with the right services and support so that these families can go on and be successful”
Despite making up a third of tamariki and rangatahi in Aotearoa, Māori represented two-thirds of those in care.
By the time they reach adulthood, Māori with care experience were five times more likely to access mental health and addiction services, nine times more likely to be in emergency housing and six times more likely to be hospitalised for self-harm, than those who had no involvement with the system.
Advocate and survivor, Ihorangi Reweti Peters says the report is a jarring read yet unsurprising. He hopes this encourages the Minister and Oranga Tamariki to buck up their ideas.
“Oranga Tamariki is in no place to care for some of Aotearoa’s most vulnerable tamariki and rangatahi. The provisions of care need to be transferred over to whānau, hapu and iwi to care for our tamariki”
The report shows community agencies, iwi and hapū led initiatives are offering the best solution for these communities.
However Arran Jones says whether the right community organisations are resourced to carry out the work is unclear, especially in the face of changes within Oranga Tamariki.
“These initiatives are scattered around the country so you don’t have a national approach to this and that requires capability bulilding and the support to enable to that to happen.
“But we are also hearing about the impacts of funding changes that might be undercutting some of that strategy, so you have partners that are trying to do things in their rohe but their services are being reduced or removed, which really prevents the progress from being made.” Mr Jones said.
Tē aro ki Te Tiriti o Waitangi
Ahakoa te whakahē nui, i whakakorea e te Minita mō ngā Tamariki, a Karen Chhour, te wāhanga 7AA o te Ture Oranga Tamariki i tēnei tau.
I whakatūria taua wāhanga 7AA hei whakapakari i te mana o Te Tiriti me te whakapai ake i ngā hua mō ngā tamariki Māori.
I whakatūpatotia ia e ngā kaitautoko me te whakahau, mā te whakakore i taua wāhanga, ka nui ake ai te mamae ki te iwi Māori. Kaore a Rewiti Peters mo te whakapono ki te aronga o te Minita.
‘I’ve got no confidence in our Minister for Children. She has repealed Section 7AA of the Oranga Tamariki Act, which was one of the key things for Māori tamariki, rangatahi and whānau in the Oranga Tamariki system’
Kāore a Minita Chhour i whakaae kia uiuitia, engari hei tāna, mā te mahi ngātahi a Oranga Tamariki ki ngā hapori e whakaiti ake ai i ngā hua ka pā kinotia e ngā tamariki Māori.
