Wait – what? Many State ‘uplift’s might be illegal? Where are the Orange Tamariki cheerleaders now?

Much of the counter argument to criticism of Oranga Tamariki’s child stealing policy is ‘these babies need to be rescued because the parents are shit’.

Ok.

Let’s put aside the neoliberal policy reset that turned CYFs into the Ministry of Vulnerable Children and the brown washing of that agency into Oranga Tamariki. Let’s put aside using big data to predict future crimes. Let’s put aside the removal of legal aid for parents to fight an uplift or the watering down of parental guardian rights.

Let’s put aside the history of the state taking Māori babies.

Let’s put aside the research that shows children taken are more likely to be abused in stare care.

We know the independent oversight isn’t there and the Minister only signed off on some ideas that haven’t been implemented a year ago.

But if your position is still to scream, ‘these babies need to be rescued because the parents are shit’, how does the simple fact that many of these uplifts could actually be illegal strike you?

Many state ‘uplifts’ of babies could be illegal: lawyer

Court action is planned to challenge the legality of ‘without notice’ uplifts of what could be hundreds of babies by the children’s ministry, Oranga Tamariki.

Hundreds of children and their whānau could be affected if the ministry’s legal tactics are ruled unlawful.

The legal action will focus on the way Oranga Tamariki wins permission from the Family Court to take children into state care, without giving the parents the chance to challenge its version of events.

Such ‘ex parte’ orders, done without notice to the mother or whānau, breach the family’s right to natural justice, lawyers say.

In the past three years 803 babies have been ‘uplifted’ – and many will have been taken after Oranga Tamariki used the ‘ex parte’ approach to the court. If that tactic is deemed unlawful, hundreds of cases could be affected.

…oh, so technically speaking this is less an ‘uplift’ and more baby trafficking, is that what I’m hearing?

The enormity of what has been happening is starting to dawn on media and politicians.

I argued in April this would be the case…

Children in State Care:At some point the enormity and horror of an underfunded agency stealing children from their parents and placing them into state care where they are abused is going to shame the nation into action. 

…if this appalling policy isn’t even legal, heads must roll!

This is starting to look like another devastating fiasco like the state house meth hysteria.