Oranga Tamariki staffer gone following alleged assault at youth justice facility

An Oranga Tamariki staffer no longer works at the Government agency following investigations into an alleged assault at a youth justice facility.

Oranga Tamariki youth justice services national director Iain Chapman today confirmed the agency had conducted a “thorough employment process” following the incident that took place on August 29.

“This has led to one staff member no longer working for Oranga Tamariki,” he said.

He didn’t provide further details, citing privacy reasons. However, Chapman reiterated Oranga Tamariki’s commitment to protecting children in its care.

“We do not stand for anyone harming children in our care and will take immediate action to hold people accountable for any unacceptable behaviour.”

Police were also investigating the incident but a spokesman said yesterday inquiries were still ongoing and no further details were available.

Children's Minister Karen Chhour vowed to be transparent about such incidents. Photo / Mark Mitchell

The alleged assault was made public late in the afternoon on Friday, September 6 after Children’s Minister Karen Chhour published a media release revealing police were investigating an alleged assault at a youth justice facility that concerned a “small number of staff and young people and resulted in one minor injury”.

She confirmed the incident did not occur at the Palmerston North facility that was currently hosting the Government’s pilot of its military-style academies, also known as boot camps.

Chhour’s statement came a week after the incident occurred, despite having committed to transparency concerning such incidents involving Oranga Tamariki.

Speaking to the Herald last month, Chhour maintained she made the alleged assault public “as soon as I could”, citing “processes” that would have made it inappropriate to talk about it any earlier.

Adam Pearse is a political reporter in the NZ Herald Press Gallery team, based at Parliament. He has worked for NZME since 2018, covering sport and health for the Northern Advocate in Whangārei before moving to the NZ Herald in Auckland, covering Covid-19 and crime.