The Minister for Children Karen Chhour’s pledge that cuts to Oranga Tamariki would not impact frontline services has been broken.
“This Government’s broken promises and callous cuts to frontline services will see our rangatahi continue to suffer,” says the Green Party spokesperson for Children Kahurangi Carter.
“The minister promised that her cuts wouldn’t affect frontline services, but just this week we’ve seen a core provider, Tākai, announce its closure – a sad demise for an organisation that provided critical support to a wide community for 20 years. Around a thousand other care providers are in limbo, waiting to see if their work can continue.
“At a time when an increased number of children and rangatahi are abused or neglected, we should be strengthening the services needed by tamariki and whānau and delivered by trusted providers. These organisations have strong personal connections to our communities, are easy to access and have been doing the hard work needed to manaaki our children.
“The future wellbeing of our most at-risk tamariki must be at the heart of our decision-making, especially those in the hands of state care.
“However, along with watering down its child poverty targets, the Government’s cuts to Oranga Tamariki risk a continuation of the harrowing neglect and mistreatment of tamariki that was extensively documented in the Abuse in State Care report.
“This Coalition Government’s focus is firmly on the punishment of trauma rather than prevention or addressing the drivers of abuse.
“The Green Party recognises that the services to support young families need certainty and continuity. Let’s give New Zealand’s children and whanau the wrap-around support they deserve,” says Kahurangi Carter.
Looks like the left hand doesn’t really know what the right hand is doing. The Minister for OT is only a minister to tick a box. She isn’t really in the inner circle of decision making so she’s in no position to pledge anything.
We think we get left in the dark and are fed manure, but I don’t think she’s much better off.
In Stuff this morning The OT minister is complaining that she feels bullied by opposition parties. It’s all about her and how she feels.
She appears to be unable to imagine how her policies, perpetrated by her govt. have affected people and how ‘bullied’ they must feel as a result.
Why is reporting effort being put into the minister’s sad and woebegone story? If her party wasn’t hell bent on punishing people, her job might be easier. She is the minister and it’s up to her to make life better for the people she is responsible for. It’s not their job to let her off the hook.
As I said once before, having been in state care or whatever it was, when she was a child, doesn’t make her the ideal candidate for the job as minister.
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