Oranga Tamariki partners with Tauranga Māori for 'radical shift' in approach

Oranga Tamariki Bay of Plenty regional manager Tasi Malu with Ngā Parirau site manager Joel Ngātuere say things have changed for the better. Photo / George Novak

A new partnership between Oranga Tamariki and Bay of Plenty Māori has been described as a "fairly radical shift" away from the agency's highly criticised way of operating.

And those behind the initiative say local families will benefit.

A powhiri marked the formal opening of Oranga Tamariki's new Pāpāmoa site today.

Named Ngā Parirau, the Domain Rd site has been built to house not just the Government agency's social workers but people from other organisations it worked closest with including iwi, hapu, non-government organisations and police.

Oranga Tamariki Bay of Plenty regional manager Tasi Malu said the new site also meant a new direction for the Government agency.

The organisation was the subject of a damning review this year.

In September, the Kahu Aroha report detailed 25 recommendations to "fix" Oranga Tamariki. These included creating a clear pathway for devolving resources and decision-making to Māori collectives and communities.

It followed criticism of, in particular, the agency's approach to uplifts of Māori children from their whānau.

Oranga Tamariki Minister Kelvin Davis, who was unable to attend the powhiri, accepted all recommendations, acknowledging at the time the system was "broken".

Today, Malu said: "We've had to stop doing what we have always been doing.

"There had to be a better way."

Ngā Parirau, Oranga Tamariki's new site, is located in Pāpāmoa. Photo / George Novak

Malu said the new site created a "real opportunity" to base the agency amongst the community "where they actually determine for us what our path should be and what we should be focusing on".

"Rather than Oranga Tamariki deciding for themselves, then telling the community what we are going to do to them," he said.

"That's been the problem for us in the past, we've really done things to the community as opposed to doing things with them."

A group named Te Whakaruruhau formed, consisting of mana whenua from Ngā Potiki, Ngāti Pukenga, Waitaha and Ngai te Rangi, and partnered with Oranga Tamariki for oversight of Ngā Parirau.

Te Whakaruruhau is responsible for Ngā Parirau resource and decision making, including the appointment of site manager Joel Ngātuere of Ngāi te Rangi.

Te Whakaruruhau spokeswoman Rahera Ohia said Ngā Potiki and Ngāti Pukenga had never had a formal relationship with Oranga Tamariki, or its predecessors, but this collaboration had immense potential to better serve local families.

Ohia said Ngā Parirau was, and would continue to be, driven by whanaungatanga (kinship, connection).

"I think it's tikanga in action."

She said the new site sits on Māori land and mana whenua felt an obligation not just to the people operating out of the building but also to the people impacted by what happens in the building.

"We want to be a partner with them in trying to get this right," she said.

Ohia said conversations between local Māori and Oranga Tamariki began back in June.

"There were needs Oranga Tamariki needed. There were needs our own people had. It's a time to say we could work together to see if these people's needs are being met."

Oria said she "totally" believed this new format would be a success.

"It's not that we want to run Oranga Tamariki. We want them to do the best job they can do. We think we can help influence them, to a point," she said.

"We want to be driven by whanaungatanga, not the Government definition of care and protection. There's a place for that care and protection but not [exclusively] on its own."

Ohia said a child without their whānau was in danger of losing their identity and all the heritage that comes with that. The hope was to try to keep children within whānau when appropriate.

The new community-led approach was expected to help make this happen, she said.

"I would think of this as a fairly radical shift in the way we want to do things. We think there is a focus on whanaungatanga.

"The high number of children who come from this region who go through Oranga Tamariki are Māori."

Ngātuere said local Māori knew their community better than Oranga Tamariki in some respects so this new partnership made sense and would better serve all families.

"With [local Māori] knowing what works, how to engage the community and get that wrap around whanau . . . that's only going to bring great outcomes."

Ngātuere likened the operation of Ngā Parirau as that of two waka - one Oranga Tamariki, and the other local Māori.

"It's about bringing the two waka together so we are paddling together in the same direction, as opposed to the Oranga Tamariki waka wanting everyone to follow it," he said.