Children’s Minister Karen Chhour said the Royal Commission of Inquiry report into the abuse experienced by individuals – including children – in state care showed the risk of “not acting immediately when there are serious concerns and complaints”.
She said concerns needed to be escalated and responded to with “urgency and accuracy” to ensure children in care were “not harmed or subjected to the same treatment of the many survivors who shared their stories with the nation”.
“Last week, Oranga Tamariki acting chief executive Andrew Bridgman apologised to survivors of abuse in state care where he promised to do better and demand better from the care system. This is another step in Oranga Tamariki becoming a better ministry and putting action to their words.
“This initiative reflects our unwavering commitment to learning from past failures and restoring trust in the care system. The unit will operate independently to ensure each investigation is separate from the day-to-day business of Oranga Tamariki and centred on the best interests of children.”
Children's Minister Karen Chhour announced the unit on Friday. Photo / Mark Mitchell
The unit’s key objectives include conducting “rigorous and transparent investigations into cases where the care provided to a child by the state has caused harm”, identifying “systemic failures to reform at Oranga Tamariki”, providing a voice to survivors, and promoting accountability.
Oranga Tamariki has been heavily criticised for failures in its processes. The Chief Ombudsman last month highlighted one case where the agency failed to properly investigate reports of violence against preschool and primary school-aged children.
The Royal Commission of Inquiry looked at abuse in institutions between 1950 and 1999 and found many failed in their duty to protect children.
That included a boot camp programme on Great Barrier Island where children endured “cruel and inhuman treatment”. One of the failures identified in the report was the state not monitoring the programme adequately or properly responding to complaints.
Chhour is setting up her own military-style academies for serious youth offenders through legislation that passed its first reading on Thursday. The proposal has been criticised as not being evidence-based, with concerns about use-of-force powers being expanded and what have been perceived as parallels with previous boot camps.
The minister told the Herald on Thursday there were significant differences, including that staff would be well vetted and receive training. There was also greater oversight now, she said, with the Children’s Commission and local mana whenua able to visit youth justice facilities.
“I would never put young people into a position where I thought they wouldn’t have a voice if something was happening to them,” she said.
The new child protection investigation unit will be established by independent experts led by Janis Adair, the current Chief Inspector at the Office of the Inspectorate independently monitoring prisons. Details of the unit will be worked through over the remainder of the year before it becomes operational at the start of 2025.
Jamie Ensor is a political reporter in the NZ Herald Press Gallery team based at Parliament. He was previously a TV reporter and digital producer in the Newshub Press Gallery office.
