Turia: Whanau best to deal with child abuse

By ANGELA GREGORY Maori issues reporter

Maori child abuse should be dealt with by whanau on the marae, says Labour MP Tariana Turia.

The Associate Minister of Social Services told a national hui on child abuse in Christchurch on Saturday that at-risk Maori children should never be allowed into "stranger care."

Tariana Turia told the Herald the state had become the first point of intervention, instead of the last.

"It shouldn't ... there's a particular perspective the state has about Maori families, and it's not a positive one ... it's a very difficult situation to change."

Her position is at odds with that of the service's general manager, Maori strategy, Peter Douglas.

Mr Douglas, who starts work in the new position today, told the hui he had "zero tolerance" for any child death from abuse. Nothing was more important than child safety, he said.

"I saw a really interesting example of how whanau gather and support each other and it was centred around a little girl killed in the Wairarapa, and that whanau gathered and supported and hid the people from police ... So if we are going to talk about whanau let's talk about them all."

Tariana Turia had said whanau were best placed to keep track of Maori children, and she was encouraging the service to concentrate on the potential of families, instead of "always looking at what's wrong."

She said that just because a child was abused, and one family were weak, that did not mean all the aunts and uncles could not be trusted. "I am totally opposed to children being raised outside whakapapa links."

Mr Douglas said children could recover from the trauma of being removed from their families, but not death.

"It is terrible the state has to intervene, but it should do so quickly and properly."

He said children's rights were coming second to those of adults.

Herald Online feature: Violence at home

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