A mother of the two children who fled from their caregiver's home in the dead of night is being told to hand her children over to authorities immediately.
Child, Youth and Family have today revealed there are now serious concerns for the safety and welfare of missing brother and sister Te Morehu, 15, and Anahera McLean, 7, who haven't been seen since they stole away from a south Auckland property in the dead of night more than a week ago.
Their disappearance sparked a major search and rescue operation which was called off after it was discovered the pair had been picked up by a family member.
But now CYF general manager operations Kay Read has urged the McLean whanau to bring them out of hiding. She also accused the whanau of using the children as "bargaining chips" in a dispute with the department over their custody.
"We are extremely concerned about two young children that are currently missing. Their mother has texted us to confirm they are with wider family, but will not let us or the Police know where the children are so we can be satisfied about their safety," she said.
