The Bill’s passing will enable Oranga Tamariki—Ministry for Children and its frontline staff to focus first and foremost on the safety and wellbeing of children when creating care arrangements, says Minister for Children, Karen Chhour.
“This Bill will allow Oranga Tamariki to focus on its primary duty first, which is the care and protection of young people, making sure they are safe from harm.
While Section 7AA was well-intended, it also resulted in children being put second. As the responsible Minister I could not accept or excuse this fact.
We can no longer deny that section 7AA has led to confusion and conflict in a system that cannot afford to get such crucial care decisions wrong.
What happens now, what happens in practice to these young people, matters.
These children’s lives are not lived in theories or in the comfort of academia or privilege. The harm that comes their way is not academic, it is real,” says Ms Chhour.
Frontline staff and many select committee submitters have shared that section 7AA has led to decisions that were not in the best interests of the child in cases where the race of a child was prioritised over their safety and well-being.
“This created a conflict for Oranga Tamariki when making decisions in the best interests of the child or young person.
“This Bill does not stop the consideration of cultural wellbeing of children and young people in the care of Oranga Tamariki, nor will it result in the end of strategic partnerships between iwi and Māori organisations and Oranga Tamariki.
“I want to make clear that this Bill does not negate the importance of cultural connections for children and young people. What the Bill does is creates clarity in decision-making so that safety is indeed the paramount consideration for each and all children and young people.
I have no issue with looking to whānau, hapū, or iwi as a solution for placements, when appropriate, but safety must come first every single time and sadly that has not always been the case,” says Ms Chhour.
Hon Karen Chhour is the Minister for Children and for the Prevention of Family and Sexual Violence. Karen grew up interacting with the state care system, and was elected to Parliament as an ACT Party MP in 2020. This article was first published HERE
While Section 7AA was well-intended, it also resulted in children being put second. As the responsible Minister I could not accept or excuse this fact.
We can no longer deny that section 7AA has led to confusion and conflict in a system that cannot afford to get such crucial care decisions wrong.
What happens now, what happens in practice to these young people, matters.
These children’s lives are not lived in theories or in the comfort of academia or privilege. The harm that comes their way is not academic, it is real,” says Ms Chhour.
Frontline staff and many select committee submitters have shared that section 7AA has led to decisions that were not in the best interests of the child in cases where the race of a child was prioritised over their safety and well-being.
“This created a conflict for Oranga Tamariki when making decisions in the best interests of the child or young person.
“This Bill does not stop the consideration of cultural wellbeing of children and young people in the care of Oranga Tamariki, nor will it result in the end of strategic partnerships between iwi and Māori organisations and Oranga Tamariki.
“I want to make clear that this Bill does not negate the importance of cultural connections for children and young people. What the Bill does is creates clarity in decision-making so that safety is indeed the paramount consideration for each and all children and young people.
I have no issue with looking to whānau, hapū, or iwi as a solution for placements, when appropriate, but safety must come first every single time and sadly that has not always been the case,” says Ms Chhour.
Hon Karen Chhour is the Minister for Children and for the Prevention of Family and Sexual Violence. Karen grew up interacting with the state care system, and was elected to Parliament as an ACT Party MP in 2020. This article was first published HERE
3 comments:
B R I L L I A N T.. Karen. Well done.
What beats me is how the likes of the original get passed in the first place. Do many not bother to ponder but assume that others have full grasp? Do they not question for fear of cancellation? Or is their life experience very limited with no close association with maori at the basic level? Are they just plain naive? Hopefully the workings of modern maori manipulation are now widely realised and such mistakes will be fewer. Maori loathe children being bought up by others as often do uncommonly well, making a mockery of the claimed superiority of a maori upbringing and reducing the number of potential insurgency recruits.
Well done to Mrs Chhour. You see the world the way it should be and you are on the right side of this piece of history. Thank you for your courage.
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