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The Office of the Commissioner for Children has released the first report from its review into the alarming escalation in the removal of Māori infants from parental care by the state.
The review, Te Kuku O Te Manawa, looks at what needs to change to keep pēpi Māori (infants, aged 0 to 3 months) in the care of their whānau when Oranga Tamariki-Ministry for Children is notified of care and protection concerns. The report is the first of two; the second, which will offer practical recommendations for change, is forthcoming.
Pleas made by wāhine in the new report on Oranga Tamariki's treatment of Māori mothers and babies reflect the need for respectful engagement, honesty, and for whānau to be worked with - not on
The spark for this review, and other related inquiries, was provided by the now notorious Hawkes Bay uplift debacle where Janet Mason of Phoenix Law played a crucial role in acting for the family and preventing the authorities from removing the baby from its mother during the surreal ordeal.
The Newsroom documentary by Dr Ian Hyslop provides a succinct analysis of Te Kuku O Te Manawa and can be viewed from the links on this page.