Govt Incarcerating Our Mokopuna Into A Failed System – Maori Party

Information released by the Minister for Children has revealed that almost 800 mokopuna Māori have been taken by the state this year, putting it on track for the largest displacement of tamariki Māori since the introduction of Section 7AA in 2019.

“Oranga Tamariki is running a crusade against whakapapa Māori under the dictatorship of this Government,” said co-leader, Rawiri Waititi.

“The incarceration of 790 children into a system that has proven itself to be an abysmal failure is dangerous.

“The whakapapa protections in the current law is the final hurdle before the Govts kidnapping spree is unleashed.

“Section 7AA lifts the curtains so the nation can see exactly what the Crown is doing to our mokopuna. It gives tamariki an extra layer of protection from being unjustly taken from their whānau and put in harm’s way.

“The repeal of Section 7AA closes that curtain and keeps our tamariki in the dark,” Waititi said.

“The government is forcing our tamariki into a cesspool of poverty and devastating deprivation. It is the catalyst for the revolving door of incarceration and intergenerational trauma,” said co-leader, Debbie Ngarewa-Packer.

“Any entity that has failed as many reviews as Oranga Tamariki would be immediately shut down. The fact that this Ministry is responsible for our most vulnerable tamariki makes it even worse.

“They are incapable of caring for anything or anyone, let alone our mokopuna,” Ngarewa-Packer said.