Let’s be very clear, it was the lack of outrage from Kiwis over 250000 kids abused has allowed State to get away with torture and the latest easing up of oversight highlights the relief the State feels because Kiwis shrugged …
Legislation to improve independent monitoring of Oranga Tamariki passes third reading
Legislation the government says will improve the oversight of Oranga Tamariki has passed its third and final reading at Parliament.
It passed with the support of every party in Parliament except Te Pāti Māori, although even opposition parties that voted for the bill had some reservations.
The legislation makes the Independent Children’s Monitor an Independent Crown Entity, instead of an agency sat within the Education Review Office.
It would also reinstate a single Children’s Commissioner.
Social development minister Louise Upston said the legislation would make it crystal clear to children who their advocate was, and build on public trust in monitoring and advocacy.
“I don’t want anyone listening, for a moment, to think that there is anything wrong with the current oversight, but this is an opportunity for the House to take it even further and to make improvements to the oversight system,” she said in Parliament.
“The bill fulfils our government’s commitment to create a truly independent monitoring and oversight agency for Oranga Tamariki.”
In 2022, the Labour government replaced the commissioner with a Children and Young Person’s Commission, and shared oversight of Oranga Tamariki between the commission and the Ombudsman.
The move was opposed by every other party in Parliament at the time.
Under the new legislation, the current Chief Commissioner of the Children and Young Person’s Commission, Dr Clare Achmad, would remain as the sole Children’s Commissioner for one year, starting from 1 August.
Chief executive of the Independent Children’s Monitor Arryn Jones would stay on for a year to oversee the organisation’s transition.
The Ombudsman would keep its power to investigate complaints.
…the last Labour Government shamefully knee capped the previous Children’s Commissioner and created a faceless 6 person panel nestled in the middle of fucking now where inside the Education Review Office because there was a realisation deep within the Professional Managerial Class that the torture, rape, molestation and abuse of children in State Care might one day bite them in their CVs.
The deal between neoliberal Governments and the Professional Managerial Class in Wellington is that the neoliberal Government slashes welfare but the Professional Managerial Class is never held responsible for the social carnage that occurs because of that underfunding.
This understanding was under severe threat during the historic abuse in care legal case as the lies and deplorable behaviour was slowly being exposed.
Far better to knee cap a Children’s Commissioner than allow a clear path of complaint for those abused, which is what Labour agreed to do (because Labour will do whatever the Professional Managerial Class in Wellington tells them to).
The reason this has changed and the Children’s Commissioner given some teeth back is because much to the surprise of the neoliberal Governments and the Professional Managerial Class, Kiwis didn’t explode with rage that the State had abused 250 000 kids.
Must shrugged. Some talked about the Rugby. Others complained about orange road cones, but the public of NZ didn’t really rise in rage at the State abusing 250 000 kids, mostly because those kids were Māori and poor.
If it had been white middle class kids being tortured, raped, molested and abused, it might have been a different response.
Now the Professional Managerial Class can see that they won’t ever be held accountable, they don’t mind letting us have the Children’s Commissioner back, because after escaping any scrutiny for torturing, raping, molesting and abusing 250000 kids from the NZ Public, they know they can get away with anything.
The latest Oranga Tamariki tinkering won’t save kids – but it might make the state 1% more accountable.
In the words of the Great Mike Hosking, “Happy Days”.
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“If it had been white middle class kids being tortured, raped, molested and abused, it might have been a different response.”
The context of this historical abuse is that during the same period white kids were being strapped and caned in public and private schools. They were being molested in boarding schools, scout dens, church camps. They were being bashed in their homes by 6 o’clock swill Dads, hit with kettle cords, vacuum pipes, jandals, coat hangers by their Mums, country kids hit with alkathene cattle whips. Bad pakeha parents were able to avoid coming to the ultimate attention of the authorities or only received warnings.
Sue Bradford deserves a saint hood for her legislation against kid bashing.
Also, thousands of pakeha babies were stolen from their teenage mothers and some adopted kids were treated like slaves.
Great comment.
So why don’t we have the same reaction against war? In our supposedly more civilized part of the world that still consists of arming adults and getting them to fight to the death, while in effect burning through lots of money in weapons systems for very little gain or mostly a loss. I guess that the most obvious reason is that we follow what others do and if we feel that we need to have enemies then a defense force becomes necessary.
“How is war still legal?”, Bill Burr.
https://youtube.com/shorts/p7vK5gl_K5g
Yes, my friend’s father beat her, he was also a racist old white cunt who also beat her mum, and her two younger brothers were shit scared of him. When he saw his daughter with us, Maori kids he would say’ why are you with those niggers’. I felt sorry for my friend she was lovely .
The fact is there is NO accountability in New Zealand for major fuckups, particularly by public servants or high-profile professionals. Look at that engineer who designed the CTV building that collapsed in Christchurch – no legal sanction whatsoever. What about our leaky buildings? Has anyone been properly held accountable for Pike River? Fucking no one. It seems to be a peculiar cultural trait.
White is right in all those cases .The people who designed those buildings are still doing the same shit today because they are entitled .
As a young kid I had a couple of brief encounters with the system while my mum was dealing with a tragic family happening .I was put in the care of a local woman whom was seen as a godess to the local community .In reality she was a totaly nasty old bitch and I was treated like a dog .
This had a lasting effect on me for the rest of my life as far as forming relationships with people and allowing people into my life in general .
I can only imagine what life must be like for all of those other 250k plus from that time .
Luckily for myself my auntie and uncle came to my rescue so I was probably speared a worse outcome .
Thank you for sharing that Gordon too many people who write on this site are very judgmental, bias, racist and discriminative and their views are a reflection of there privileged life having no or very little life experiences.
Thank you for sharing that Gordon too many people who write on this site are very judgmental, bias, racist and discriminative and their views are a reflection of there privileged life having no or very little life experiences.
The National govt tough on crime formula:
Hungry people stealing food—> crack down hard.
Gang members wearing patches—> crack down hard.
200k children abused in State care —> ignore, sweep under the carpet, obfuscate, delay, get MSD to hire investigators to dig dirt on victims, grudgingly accept the findings of the abuse in care inquiry instigated by Labour which National NEVER would have conducted, don’t fire any of the public servants behind the covering up behavior, get dept heads to give form letter type public apologies, instruct Erica Stanford to make any compensation package fit tight fiscal constraints while having an open chequebook when it came to funding all the underhanded tactics up until the abuse in care inquirey, keep Una Jagose in her position becuase you never want to admit public service wrongs, but kick out Coster because he’s a little too competent.
The difference is: that many voters are afraid of gangs, and supermarkets can make big political donations, while abused children are the most vulnerable members of society, so when push comes to shove, the National govt will choose maintaining order ahead of redressing victims of toturers and pedophiles, because National is so so tuff on crime when it suits them, that is that they are tough on the right kinds of crime with the right kinds of victims and the right kinds of perpetrators. The govts tuff on crime main head kicker Minister Mitchell is so tuff, that the last time he was on TV, he was going on about how some people who are homeless, are homeless simply because they prefer being homeless, which explains everything. Can Minister Mitchell name one homeless person, who he thinks prefers being homeless FFS.