A 1 News report headed Minister admits comments on state care abuse stats may have misled public draws attention to a ministerial apology.
It was an apology about her use (or misuse) of figures for political effect.
Children’s Minister Karen Chhour has apologised after admitting her comments in a radio interview about abuse in state care may have misled people.
Speaking to Q+A with Jack Tame this morning, Chhour said she would “never intentionally mislead victims of abuse in state care,” after previously suggesting that official abuse statistics from Oranga Tamariki measured different levels of harm.
She now acknowledges those comments were incorrect.
“I accept that people may have thought that, and I apologise if they have,” Chhour said. “My intention was never that — it was to make clear that I was speaking to one area of harm within the system.”
Speaking to Q+A with Jack Tame this morning, Chhour said she would “never intentionally mislead victims of abuse in state care,” after previously suggesting that official abuse statistics from Oranga Tamariki measured different levels of harm.
She now acknowledges those comments were incorrect.
“I accept that people may have thought that, and I apologise if they have,” Chhour said. “My intention was never that — it was to make clear that I was speaking to one area of harm within the system.”
The apology followed the Children’s Commissioner and Independent Children’s Monitor accusing Chhour of cherry-picking data by highlighting a 14% reduction in abuse or harm within state care residences. But overall abuse in the wider care system had risen to record levels.
Gordon Campbell wrote on Scoop there were 115 reported cases of harm in the OT- managed facilities last year, down from 118 the year before. And since only 503 children were in managed facilities in the period in question, that 115 figure amounted to a disturbing 22.8% of the total population of the children living in such residences.
Keep in mind that there had been only 22 cases of reported harm in these facilities in 2021.
It is striking to see just how selectively Chhour had constructed an alleged” good news” story for the government from such a bleak situation. As Children’s Commissioner Claire Achmad told RNZ, the incidence of overall harm to those in state care had increased, with 530 incidences of harm to children reported over the past 12 months.
And:
For the record, as cited in Oranga Tamariki’s annual report for 2024/2025 : New Zealand has 3336 children or young people living in non-family care, of whom 5% (i.e. 178) suffered reported harm. Of the 2,225 in the care of the wider family, 6% (i.e. 140) suffered reported harm. Among the 1,019 children returned to or remaining in home care with parents, 13% (i.e. 134) suffered reported harm. As RNZ pointed out, this is the highest proportion on record, and accounts for nearly 24% of all harm findings this year.
1 News reported that Chhour defended the Government’s decision to publicly highlight improvements in youth justice and care residences, saying it was important to “acknowledge when things are going well” even if “other areas are still struggling”.
“When I first took over, I was devastated at the state of our youth justice and care and protection residences,” she said.
“It’s unacceptable that we have kids in secure residences and they’re not safe. So we’ve focused on training, infrastructure, and making sure staff have the tools they need.”
We may suppose that things aren’t doing so well on the “Boot Camp” front, because Chhour declined to give details on the outcomes of the Government’s military-style academy pilot, after reports that at least seven of the eight participants had reoffended.
She said an independent review would be released soon.
Chhour did acknowledge there had been a 23% increase in harm among children returning home from care placements but said Oranga Tamariki was prioritising follow-up visits and improving oversight.
She confirmed that only 64% of caregivers had been assessed before children were returned home last year, down from 80% the year before, but blamed staffing pressures.
“We’ve recruited twice as many social workers now as have left,” she said.
“We’re rebuilding the workforce and focusing on where the biggest risks are.”
Chhour had drawn attention to what was happening in her ministerial bailiwick in a press statement on 22 October which brayed –
First ever reduction of harm in state care residences
Minister for Children Karen Chhour has today announced the achievement of a reduction of harm in state care residences, the first reduction of its kind in New Zealand’s history.
“I am grateful to be able to confirm the first ever reduction of harm within Youth Justice and Care and Protection residences, a 14% decrease since 2024, this latest data shows our focus and hard work is getting results.”
Those were the only figures in the statement, which went on to say it was tragic that any harm occurred but
… we have made a number of investments and changes to practice to get meaningful reductions to harm. We are fixing what matters.
There has been a significant programme of change across all of our residences and we believe that our strengthened systems and clear focus on safety supports the reduction of harm in residences.
I made improving safety in residences one of my key priorities for Oranga Tamariki when I first became Minister for Children, and Oranga Tamariki have stepped up to this challenge.
The statement concluded on a note of near-triumph:
We have refocused the children’s system on what matters – the safety and wellbeing of children, whether in the community or residences – and the results are clear,” says Minister Chhour.
In Parliament next day, Chhour’s party colleagues helped spread the news of this success.
ACT leader David Seymour was answering questions on the Prime Minister’s behalf at Question Time, and when Labour ‘s Carmel Sepuloni asked if the Prime Minister stood by all his Government’s statements and actions, he eagerly drew attention to the child safety statistics:
Yes, and I would particularly like to reference the efforts of our Minister for Children, Karen Chhour, in improving the safety of children in residences. That has come down 14 percent in the last two years. It’s the first time that there has been a reduction of harm to children in State care, as we understand it, in the country’s history.
That is really quite an achievement, and a poignant one in the wake of the royal commission, which laid bare the history of brutality that has affected so many people and damaged them for life. This is very good news, and it has come because of a precise and deliberate set of actions by the Minister to improve the quality of staffing, to require staff to wear uniforms, to crack down on contraband—for example, by requiring staff to have clear bags so that they couldn’t smuggle contraband in—and by proactively managing behaviour in the sites.
All of this has led to a 14 percent reduction in young people being harmed. That is really fixing what matters and is a good example of what the Labour Party should be thinking about.
But ACT wasn’t finished in trying to score political points from the child safety figures.
SIMON COURT (ACT) to the Minister for Children: What recent data has she seen on findings of harm in State care residences?
Hon KAREN CHHOUR (Minister for Children): I’ve seen the Oranga Tamariki Safety of Children in Care report, which, for the first time ever in New Zealand, showed a decrease in harm within secure residential placements. There has been a 14 percent reduction in findings of harm since 2024. Any harm is unacceptable, but it must be acknowledged that the significant programme of work across the secure residences is seeing positive results. The introduction of standard operating practices, improved recruitment, training and programming, and a refreshed induction process—among many other things—is resulting in improved safety and wellbeing for those in secure residential care.
But during this patsy question-and-answer session, Chhour did acknowledge that things weren’t going so well throughout her domain:
Simon Court: What does the data show about children and young people in return-home placements?
Hon KAREN CHHOUR: We must acknowledge what is working and where there is still room for improvement. The data shows a disproportionately higher number of children and young people living in return- or remain-home placements experienced harm. These are placements where a child is in the legal custody of the chief executive but has either returned to, or remained in, the care of their immediate family—usually parents. Thirteen percent of children in return- or remain-home placements had a finding of harm. This is one of the reasons why I have always said that the ultimate consideration in decision making about the child must be safety.
And…
Simon Court: What else does the data show about findings of harm of children and young people in State care?
Hon KAREN CHHOUR: I acknowledge that the latest Safety of Children in Care report shows that, in the 12 months to 31 March 2025, there was an increase of 23 children and young people who had a finding of harm compared to the previous year. It is important to note that the majority—over 60 percent—of this harm to children in care was not caused by the person that was responsible for their care. The harm was caused by someone else, be it by another child or a wider family member not responsible for their care, or by an adult not related or known to them. Any harm to a child, whether in care or not in care, is not OK, and of course this is something that I’m really concerned about, and that’s the safety of children, and it will remain my top priority as Minister. At the same time, it is important to acknowledge where progress has been made, such as in residences, and to recognise the hard work done by the front-line staff who are dealing with these issues every day.
When it came to answer questions from Labour’s Willow-Jean Prime, however, Chhour was infuriatingly lacking in candour:
Hon Willow-Jean Prime: Why did you cut funding?
Hon KAREN CHHOUR: While, ideally, every child would be in a safe and loving home with their parents, unfortunately, we know this is not always possible.
Hon Willow-Jean Prime: Where’s the support?
Hon KAREN CHHOUR: In these situations, the needs and the best interests of children must always come first, and I’ll continue to advocate for that.
Good for her.
But it didn’t answer the question.
Bob Edlin is a veteran journalist and editor for the Point of Order blog HERE. - where this article was sourced.
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