Ihorangi Reweti-Peters was uplifted from his parents as a baby and has been in 21 placements over the past six years. Photo / Mark Mitchell
Ihorangi Reweti-Peters was uplifted from his parents as a baby and has been in 21 placements over the past six years. Photo / Mark Mitchell
Ihorangi Reweti-Peters was uplifted from his parents at 6 months old and has been through 21 different placements across the country since entering state care age 10.
The 16-year-old has spoken out about the "physical and psychological" abuse endured, yet says the Government is not listening to his voice, nor others in similar positions, as it seeks to pass legislation to reform Oranga Tamariki despite widespread opposition.
"Young people will not feel safe," he said, particularly around the removal of the independent Children's Commissioner, where he says young people regularly go to voice concerns.
Labour, which has a parliamentary majority, is the only party in support of the Oversight of Oranga Tamariki System and Children and Young People's Commission Bill, which is due for its second reading this evening.
Parliament's social services select committee heard hundred of submissions on the bill, most of which opposed it.
Ihorangi Reweti-Peters, youth advocate for young people in state care, during a press conference with Act Party deputy leader Brooke van Velden. Photo / Mark Mitchell
The bill would set up an independent monitor for Oranga Tamariki within the Education Review Office - currently, it is within the Ministry of Social Development.
It would also replace the current Children's Commissioner position with a Children and Young Person's Commission, and expand the investigative powers of the Ombudsman.
Many submissions suggested the powers of the Children's Commissioner were being weakened because outspoken former commissioner Andrew Becroft had annoyed the Government so much.
Some are also concerned it will be passed before the Royal Commission into Abuse in State Care has finished.
Reweti-Peters, a student at Mairehau High School in Ōtautahi/Christchurch, was as a baby removed from his parents, who had drug and alcohol problems, and then from his grandparents at 10 due to mental health issues.
He has spoken about the "wonderful times" but also the "very dark and scary situations, including physical and psychological abuse" he experienced in state care.
Reweti-Peters said he was "very concerned" with the changes proposed, particularly removing the Children's Commissioner.
"Young people will not feel safe because there is no Children's Commissioner, like judge Francis Evers currently, young people contact her and her office daily to raise issues and grievances that are happening in residence and in the home.
"So I am sure that young people will feel unsafe if this legislation comes into practice."
Ihorangi Reweti-Peters is calling for major changes to the Government's Oranga Tamariki reform bill. Photo / Mark Mitchell
He said not being listened to made him "feel hurt".
"It makes me feel hurt that we are not being listened to, and that our concerns around this legislation are not being taken into account," said Reweti-Peters, who was also part of Youth Parliament last week under Labour's Te Tai Tonga MP Rino Tirikatene.
"We are not being listened to effectively by the Government, that is technically our carer."
The Act Party flew Reweti-Peters up to Wellington for the day to speak.
Reweti-Peters said he wanted to speak alongside MP Karen Chhour, who was in state care as a child herself, but she is off work currently with Covid-19.
Speaking in her place, party deputy leader Brooke Van Velden said the Government needed to scrap the bill and start again.
Reweti-Peters said he would not go so far. Reform was needed and it could be done within the existing bill.
"We need independent and effective monitoring, which is not in the Government department."
After hearing submissions, the committee recommended in a report released in June that as well as a board, a chairperson of the board should be appointed who would be known as the Chief Children's Commissioner.
This would be part of the Independent Children's Monitor, a departmental agency hosted by the Education Review Office (ERO). Legislation would also require the independent monitor to act independently.
National, Act, the Greens and Te Pāti Māori are not satisfied, saying it still lacked independence needed, and have all called for the bill to be halted.
At first reading, Minister for Social Development Carmel Sepuloni said she did not agree, saying the bill would do "the complete opposite".
"[What] this bill will do is ensure we have independent monitoring, strong advocacy, and accessible complaints system in order to ensure Government is held accountable, so we start to actually see real change for our children and young people who are in the system now.
"It still has the level of independence that we were all seeking.
"If the Independent Children's Monitor, when it sits within ERO, decides to investigate something or monitor something, the Government can't tell it otherwise, and the select committee have made sure that they've strengthened the language in the bill to ensure that that is clear and it is in the legislation."
Ihorangi Reweti-Peters was uplifted from his parents as a baby and has been in 21 placements over the past six years. Photo / Mark Mitchell
Sepuloni said today the process for the bill began in 2018 with the Beattie Report, and there had been engagement with children and young people all across the country.
There were also recommendations and insights from the Kāhui Group - Māori leaders - and the 22 hui across the country.
The Green Party has submitted a minority report and said the bill should be withdrawn until the final report of the Royal Commission into Abuse in State Care.
Sepuloni said this factor was why a review of the legislation was required after no more than five years, to factor in any recommendations from the Royal Commission.
The bill passed its first reading in November last year.
