Why is Oranga Tamariki allowed to have a Māori name?
Review finds 24 children killed by carers since Malachi Subecz’s murder
New Zealand has made no significant improvement to children’s safety since the high-profile death of Malachi Subecz in 2021, a new review has found.
Another 24 children were killed by their caregivers between December 2021 and June 2025, according to the Independent Children’s Monitor (ICM).
Most of the children were under the age of 5 and many were babies, and most perpetrators were known to police, the review by the independent Crown entity revealed today.
Oranga Tamariki was aware of half of those children before their deaths because someone had made one or more reports of concern about them.
NZHerald
The deal between the self interested public service and the neoliberal political class is that when the underfunding for the welfare state is so frayed that the innocent are being slaughtered, the neoliberal poli8ical class NEVER hold the self interested public service to account.
Oranga Tamariki can’t do their job because they are so underfunded and have had budgets to visit these kids and assess them in their own environment revoked and cut.
The murder of Malachi Subecz shocked Aotearoa and exposed catastrophic failures across our child protection system. The Coroner’s findings confirm what many families already know: when agencies are overwhelmed, under-resourced and fragmented, vulnerable children pay the price. This is not just a tragedy — it is a systemic indictment.
A Damning Coroner’s Report on Systemic Failure
‘Unacceptable’ delays to improve child protection system – government
The government has acknowledged there were “unacceptable delays” to improving the child protection system after Malachi Subecz’s death.
The Coroner has released a damning report into the five-year-old’s death, saying opportunities to identify his abuse and torture were not picked up.
His death sparked national outrage and a series of reviews into the child protection system – including a system-wide review from the late Dame Karen Poutasi.
Minister for Child Poverty Reduction Louise Upston, who has been working on the Poutasi recommendations, has now released a statement on the coroner’s report.
Minister for Children Karen Chhour, who can speak to Oranga Tamariki’s role, has not made herself available for an interview.
RNZ
Political Accountability and Ministerial Silence
No surprises that Minister for Children Karen Chhour hasn’t fronted.
The Family Court Is Not a Child Protection Solution
I find listening to the mother complaining in this terrible case difficult.
Her decision to sign Malachi’s child welfare over to Michaela Barriball was found by the Family Court to be “grossly inadequate” and lacked proper oversight or vetting.
Her own family expressed surprise that Malachi had been handed over to Michaela and raised alarms with officials who all ignored it because they are utterly over worked and under funded.
As someone who spent five brutal years fighting for child custody through the Family Court system, let me assure you, it’s no solution.
When a Solo Parent Is Imprisoned: Who Protects the Child?
The issue at hand is what should happen to children whose solo parent is incarcerated.
Here’s what should happen.
The person found guilt can not be imprisoned until Oranga Tamariki have placed the child in care with whanau or appropriate guardianship and that the sentencing Court be responsible for ensuring that.
What did happen was a vulnerable parent made a grave error of judgment and a little boy has been tortured to death.
Structural Reform, Not Procedural Delay
Leaving a case to wander through the underfunded Family Court process is an abdication of responsibility, it isn’t a ‘solution’.
So why are Oranga Tamriki allowed a Māori name?
David Seymour recently removed the Māori name of the school lunches which was good because the corporate slop he has turned those once healthy meals into DOESN’T DESERVE A MĀORI NAME!
And let’s be clear, the true cost of taking a $8 lunch and reducing it to $3 wasn’t the supposed cash saved, it was the thousands of local jobs and nutritional degradation.
Seymour’s school lunches have only 13% of the 30% nutritional daily requirements.
We pay $2.74 to feed prisoners each meal. Seymour is giving our kids 26 cents more and calling that charity!
Don’t give me that, “It’s the parents responsibility to feed their kids’ crap. If you are a man who seriously has a problem with ensuring our kids get a healthy feed at school, hand in your man card now because you aren’t a man, you are a bully.
A bully that likes to bully kids.
Hungry children don’t learn. We feed them, we feed us all.
I am sick to death of Government programs brown washing themselves with a Māori name while implementing policies that are brutal to Māori!
I say take back these Māori names, demand them to be stripped because they have not earned the mana of the Māori language!
Kāinga Ora have shut down their public house building obligations while homelessness explodes – demand the name back!
Oranga Tamariki damage Māori children – demand the name back!
Oranga Tamriki can have their name back when they’ve earned it!
The reality is that there is and never or will be any improvement in our children welfare – everyone who is part of it has a vested interest in ensuring NOTHING changes – have you ever heard of social worker who actually changed anything or actually every ensured social justice – and yes is it not curious that OT is the only one no mentions as having a Maori name
Because most of the clients are Maori, just as with TPK?