Urgent Royal Commission of Inquiry into Oranga Tamariki - Ministry for Children - formerly CYFS

When the Oranga Tamariki Act 1989 (Children, Young Persons and Their Families Act 1989) was introduced it was seen to be world-leading child welfare legislation. The Act impacts on the lives of thousands of children, young people and their families. The Act introduced major changes to the way decisions were made about children and young people who were victims of abuse and neglect or who broke the law, and placed New Zealand at the forefront of international legislative best practice.

The Act determines how the state intervenes to protect children from abuse and neglect, and to prevent and address child and youth offending. It represents how well our society cares for and supports our children and young people. The Act introduced principles that changed the way decisions were made about children and young people, enabling family to become partners in the decision-making process to resolve family issues.

Fundamental to the Act was the incorporation and inclusion of families throughout the process of making decisions in matters of care and protection of children and young people, and offending by young people.

New Zealanders were shocked by the coverage of an attempted uplift of a baby by Oranga Tamariki at Hawkes Bay hospital on 6 May 2019, what has come from this coverage has been an outpouring and ground swell of information from traumatized parents, grandparents, families and their children of their experiences dealing with Oranga Tamariki and the NZ Family Court.

There is also a direct correlation between Oranga Tamariki, the NZ Family Court and our mental health and suicide crisis across our nation. The trauma experienced by those who have been engaged and under the care of Oranga Tamariki (CYFS), the NZ Family Court must be acknowledged and addressed.

There needs to be independent investigations into the conduct, culture, processes and policies of Oranga Tamariki, the effect of the NZ Family Court processes and the impact of child removal on the wellbeing of our nation.

An urgent Royal Commission of Inquiry must be established with wide ranging powers including referring suspected criminal offending by staff to the Police, Crown, or Solicitor General for prosecution.

https://www.newsroom.co.nz/ot-reaction Melanie Reid and Bonnie Sumner for Newsroom - 4 July 2020

https://www.newsroom.co.nz/investigations/nzs-own-taken-generation Melanie Reid for Newsroom - 11 June 2019

https://www.newsroom.co.nz/oranga-tamariki-running-for-cover Vivienne Martini for Newsroom - 25 February 2020

https://www.newsroom.co.nz/oranga-tamariki-braces-for-more-bad-news Melanie Reid & Bonnie Sumner - 30 July 2020

https://www.newsroom.co.nz/another-damning-report-on-ot-taking-babies Tim Murphy for Newsroom - 6 August 2020

https://www.tvnz.co.nz/one-news/new-zealand/uplift-investigation-highly-critical-inaction-and-lack-capacity-oranga-tamariki#_=_ Anna Whyte 1 News 6 August 2020

https://www.ombudsman.parliament.nz/resources/he-take-kohukihuki-matter-urgency?fbclid=IwAR1U8588YV1rnnUEVQt9BcfV6yp3WokOi2mUitfCW37WCVvNq2_zSyONYas He Take Kōhukihuki | A Matter of Urgency - Office of the Ombudsman - 6 August 2020