Childrenโs Commissioner Andrew Becroft acknowledges the huge effort and commitment of departing Oranga Tamariki Chief Executive Grainne Moss and says her decision to resign today was principled.
โThe issues facing Oranga Tamariki are beyond individual people or personalities and are structural. State decision about and for Mฤori families canโt continue in its present form.
โAs our office showed in our recent review of the care of protection of pฤpi Maori<https://www.occ.org.nz/publications/reports/tktm-report-2/>* there needs to be a total transformation of the statutory care and protection system to a by Mฤori for Mฤori approach. This could include a restructure of Oranga Tamariki including a new leadership model that embodies true partnership under Te Tiriti. This resignation needs to be seen as the opportunity for that reset.
โOur review showed what Mฤori have been saying for decades, that for their wellbeing tamariki and pฤpi Mฤori deserve to be both safe, and in the care of their wider whฤnau โ itโs not one or the other.โ