Aroturuki Tamariki – Independent Children’s Monitor’s new oranga tamariki report, looking at outcomes for Māori in state care, provides damning statistics on the inequalities faced by these rangatahi, and their hopes for the future despite it.

Barriers to housing and employment, higher mortality rates and a 70% likelihood of continuing a generational cycle in state care are faced by Māori who have been through the oranga tamariki system, a new report has found. Aroturuki Tamariki – Independent Children’s Monitor released its inaugural report on Wednesday, with findings overwhelmingly pointing to a system that is “failing to deliver equal outcomes for Māori”.

The report covers the period between July 1, 2023 and June 20, 2024 and the outcomes for tamariki and rangatahi Māori in the “oranga tamariki system”, which includes Oranga Tamariki, police and various ministries including health and social development. Two thirds of all young people in state care and three quarters of those in youth justice custody are Māori. At the same time half the reports of concern made to Oranga Tamariki are regarding Māori children.

The report emphasised that most young Māori – who make up a third of those under 18 in New Zealand, around 333,600 people – have no involvement with Oranga Tamariki. But those who do spend time in state care are far more likely to need further state, mental health and addiction support later in life.

The key findings

Researchers spoke to 1,800 people – including 200 young people, 550 Oranga Tamariki staff and 160 Māori service providers – across Auckland, Taranaki-Manawatū, Canterbury and Upper South for this report.

The report states that the more involved young Māori become in the oranga tamariki system, “the worse their long-term outcomes”. In 2023/24, 92% of young Māori referred to a youth justice family conference had a previous care and protection report of concern. Meanwhile, 34% of young Māori currently in the oranga tamariki system told researchers they have attempted suicide in the last 12 months – this is more than double the rate of their Māori peers outside of it.

Experience in care continues to affect Māori even when they leave it – to assess outcomes, the report looked at indicators for Māori aged 27-30 in 2022 who had spent time in the oranga tamariki system, compared to Māori of the same age who had not. They are nine times more likely to have been in emergency housing, six times more likely to have been hospitalised for self-harm and are “much more likely” to be victims of crime than Māori who have never been in state care.

Three quarters of those who have previously been in youth justice custody have spent time in prison or on home detention since turning 18. And 70% of Māori parents who have lived in care see their tamariki involved with Oranga Tamariki “in some way”, while one in eight have had one or more children in care at some point.

What do Māori in state care say?

Despite a survey revealing those currently in state care feel less safe, hopeful and loved by their community than those outside of it, anonymous quotes from young Māori included in the report paint a picture of rangatahi with big dreams for the future. They want to get NCEA and university qualifications; one shared ambitions of becoming a technician; one hopes to be a marine biologist; and another wants to be a youth worker, to show rangatahi “someone with life experience”. Another dreams of “grow[ing] up successful” to “give my kids what I couldn’t have”.

“I feel I’m going to be successful for myself. It’s a feeling I’ve got. When I leave school, I’ll become a waiter, save money, travel the world, make some more money and then start a business,” said one respondent. “To become a businesswomen, be a rich mum. I feel like my dreams will come true even if they take a while”.

What’s not working?

Aroturuki Tamariki chief executive Arran Jones said the findings were a “story of consequence” and of needs not being addressed by a system that can’t always put the right support in place at the right time. The report was “sobering”, he said. “The data paints a stark picture of the consequence of the oranga tamariki system not doing more to help.”

The report acknowledges that police and Oranga Tamariki both have strategies in place to better support young Māori, but there are significant barriers to progress. Oranga Tamariki has “competing policies, a low trust culture, layers of decision making and the inability to make the best use of existing tools, such as family group conferences (FGCs) means that social workers are not always able to work in a way that meets the needs of tamariki and rangatahi Māori and their whānau”.

Too little too late

The agency also has a high threshold for investigating reports of concern made about tamariki and rangatahi, with half of these reports resulting in a decision to take no further action. The report notes that failing to take action at the earliest intervention can leave these young people at risk, with the potential of greater involvement within the oranga tamariki system down the line.

More holistic youth justice options would be helpful for tamariki and whānau, but the report states that curbing offending altogether by having agencies work together when reports of concern are made will lead to more improved outcomes for young Māori. Despite efforts, inequalities in the oranga tamariki system against Māori aren’t reducing.

Is anything working?

The report did commend the efforts of iwi partnerships, highlighting Whakapai Hauora (Best Care Charitable Trust) which was delegated statutory youth justice powers and functions from Oranga Tamariki in 2020. Whakapai Hauora provides wraparound support for Māori who have offended, with initiatives that include teaching life skills to wāhine Māori, whānau programmes and encouraging rangatahi to work as a form of reparation.

Since 2020, only one rangatahi referred to Whakapai Hauora has proceeded to a court order. In another instance, one young man who committed theft was later employed by the business he stole from.

“Significant reductions in reoffending” have also been seen by Auckland’s Kotahi te Whakaaro, which connects government and non-government organisations and works alongside whānau to prevent young Māori from reoffending. Porirua’s Te Rūnanga o Toa Rangatira offers early intervention initiatives, which have resulted in a 21% drop in reports of concern, the lowest rate in the town in four years.

The response from parliament

Minister for children Karen Chhour said the overrepresentation of Māori in the oranga tamariki system is a “complex and historical challenge” which will require an all-of-government response working alongside communities. Chhour said previous ministers have failed to support Oranga Tamariki, but she is “pleased” the report recognises “the progress and early successes tamariki and rangatahi Māori and their whānau are experiencing as a result of this devolution work”.

Oranga Tamariki has accepted the report’s findings and agreed the overrepresentation of and outcomes for Māori need to be improved, but says more scrutiny is needed on the work of other agencies (such as the education and health ministries) “who share responsibility for improving outcomes for tamariki and rangatahi Māori and their whānau”, spokesperson Janet Fletcher told RNZ. 

“A key priority for Oranga Tamariki is to decentralise and devolve services to iwi, Māori and communities through our strategic partnerships, and support tamariki and whānau voices to be at the forefront,” said Fletcher.

Labour’s children’s spokesperson Willow-Jean Prime said the report revealed a “disturbing and urgent problem”, while the prime minister had “overseen dangerous changes to Oranga Tamariki” and “allowed an Act minister to recklessly erode the services that have been built to support children”.