Children’s Minister Karen Chhour continues to back her decision to introduce the bill to repeal section 7AA of the Oranga Tamariki Act, which requires the organisation to take into account the Treaty of Waitangi.
But she plans to continue devolving resources to iwi to help with their children.
“We are devolving back to the community in some areas and that’s fantastic because I don’t want to see kids in care but, if the ultimate decision is that a young person goes into care, then I won’t apologise for keeping children safe,” Chhour says.
Section 7AA of the Oranga Tamariki Act was introduced in 2017 by the previous National government. The aim was to prioritise placing Māori children within their extended family or iwi when they need care and protection.
However, Chhour says the legislation has created conflict between protecting the best interests of the child and race-based factors enshrined in 7AA.