pn629. Maori children are not objects. Opinion: Oranga Tamariki CEO should step down; if Kelvin Davis does not sack her, he should step down

The latest development in the Oranga Tamariki saga is that the Court has ordered Newsroom to remove a video  and related articles damaging to Oranga Tamariki's already damaged reputation, thus removing graphic evidence of how the agency works. Oranga Tamariki and the Court said the four children involved could be identified; Newsroom denies this saying their faces were blurred, adding "We will argue for its return, in the public interest, at a hearing next month."

Oranga Tamariki CEO  Grainne Moss says the agency is on track to better heed Maori advice. Others say it's too little, too late; she should never have been appointed, and the latest move is obvious smoke screening. 

The CEO's  remarks (see pn617) came after a Children's Commissioner damning report (see pn614) that called for an immediate  change to the agency's contracting process, increased funding for iwi, Māori organisations to deliver better services, and improvements in the legislation and mechanisms  to work better with Māori.  The new Assistant Māori Children's Commissioner, Glenis Philip-Barbara, has questioned  how much longer New Zealand will tolerate Oranga Tamariki not providing care to children. .(See the video) saying the agency "will not get it right until power rests with Maori." 

And Martyn Bradbury says by "panicking and just removing Māori children from white homes they’ve been told are permanent, Oranga Tamariki have  shown they are a broken and counter productive agency who are actually endangering and causing pain in children’s lives. If Kelvin Davis doesn’t sack Grainne Moss, then he should step down now. ... Jacinda must step in now."

Waatea News: Opinion: "New Oranga Tamariki Footage and censorship a shock - Jacinda must step in now"

Jean Te Huia from the Māori Midwives Association says it’s incomprehensible she (Moss)  stay in the job. She says if the Government is committed to fixing problems at the agency, it needs to find new leadership.

"Her remaining there shows a lack of clarity. The government needs to move on. They can't do it dragging her with them. They have to change the care for our Māori children, the way they care for those in need of care and protection and we cannot allow her to continue any longer.. She says the heart of the problem is the refusal by government to allow indigenous people to determine their own solutions.

-- ACW