Kua wetekina e te Rōpū Whakamana i Te Tiriti o Waitangi tana pūrongo mō Oranga Tamariki, He Pāharakeke, he Rito Whakakīkinga Whāruarua, i roto i te hōputu hukihuki i mua i te whakaputanga.
I hoatu te Taraipiunara i te tūnga ohotata ki te ruku tātari, hei tohu e pāngia ana ngā tamariki Māori ki te tino whakahāweatanga putanga kore, he nui te tūponotanga rānei ka pāngia hei hua o ngā mahi onāianei, ākuanei rānei, ā, kāore he whakatikahanga kē hāunga te ruku tātari wawe.
Ka kapi ngā take e toru i te ruku tātari:
1. He aha i nui rawa ai te rerekē riterite tonu i waenga i te maha o ngā tamariki Māori me te maha o ngā tamariki tauiwi e tiakina ana i roto i te tiaki Kāwanatanga i raro i te mana o Oranga Tamariki me ōna whakahaere o mua?
2. Ka pēhea e whakaitia iho ai taua rerekētanga mā ngā kaupapahere me te ritenga ā-ture i whakaurua atu i te tau 2017, ā, e whakatinanahia ana i tēnei wā?
3. He aha ngā panoni anō ki te ture, kaupapahere, mahinga rānei a te Karauna e hiahiatia ana (mēnā e hiahiatia ana ētahi) hei whakarite i ngā putanga e rite ana ki te Tiriti me ana mātāpono?
I te tīmatanga o te ruku tātari, i whakaae te Karauna kei reira te tino rerekētanga i waenga i te maha o ngā tamariki Māori me ngā tamariki tauiwi e tiakina ana e te kāwanatanga. I whakaae rātou i whai wāhi ngā ānga whānui o te tāmitanga me te kaikiri hangahanga i te taha o te pānga haere tonu o ngā tūkinotanga mai o mua ki ngā whānau, ngā hapū me ngā iwi. Waihoki, i mōhio rātou kāore i tino whakatinana i ngā tūtohu o te pūrongo Komiti Tohutohu Minita o 1988, te Pūao-Te-Ata-Tū.
I roto i tana pūrongo, ka kitea e te Taraipiunara e tika ana nā ngā pānga o te whakawātea me te raupatu whenua tētahi wāhanga o te manarite-kore tino nui e haere tonu ana. Heoi anō, e whakaata ana hoki i te mūhore o te Karauna ki te whakahōnore i te kī taurangi o te haere tonutanga o te ahurea i whakatinanahia i roto i te kī taurangi o te tino rangatiratanga i runga i ō rātou kāinga. Nā reira, ko te otinga o te pūrongo he tukunga iho tōtika ngā manarite-kore o te kōkohu o te Karauna ki te rangatiratanga o ngāi Māori i runga o ō rātou kāinga.
Tāpiri atu ki tēnei kōkohu, ka kitea e te Taraipiunara ētahi takahi i ngā mātāpono o te rangapū, te whakahaumaru hohe, me ngā kōwhiringa. Hui katoa, mā ēnei takahitanga e puta te tino whakahāweatanga.
Ko te tūtohutanga matua o te Taraipiunara kia mutu i te Karauna te urunga anō ki ngā mea e tāpuia ana mā ngāi Māori i raro i te Tiriti me te tuku i a rātou ki te taumanu anō i tō rātou wāhi. Me tuku ki ngāi Māori te mōtika kia whakatinana i te rangatiratanga o ō rātou kāinga.
Ko te tūtohu o te Taraipiunara me whakatū he Mana Whakahaere Whakawhiti Māori. Me noho motuhake tēnei rōpū i te Karauna me ana tari kāwanatanga. Ko te kaupapa matua kia tautuhi i ngā panoni e hiahiatia ana kia whakakore i te hiahia kia tiaki te Kāwanatanga i ngā tamariki Māori. Me whakaarotau te whakatū o tēnei rōpū, me te hoatu i te mana kōwhiri whānui kia whai whakaaro ki te whakapai ake i te pūnaha i roto, ā, i waho hoki i ngā whakaritenga ā-ture, ā-kaupapahere hoki mō Oranga Tamariki. E tūtohu ana te Taraipiunara kia āwhina te Karauna i te Mana Whakahaere Whakawhiti ki ngā mōhiohio me te kupu āwhina ina hiahiatia ana. Waihoki me whakatūturu te Karauna he rawaka te tautoko ā-ahumoni, ā-whakahaere hoki kia mahi me te whakarato i te whakahounga he pērā te nui. E tūtohu ana te Taraipiunara kia tuku ki te Mana Whakahaere Whakawhiti te mana kōwhiri kia hoahoa me te whakahou i te pūnaha tiaki me te whakahaumaru mā ngā tamariki Māori, me te mana whakahaere kia mahi tahi i raro i te rangapū tūturu me te Karauna kia whakatūturu i te whakatinanatanga tika o te pūnaha kua hurihia.
Me tautoko te Karauna i tēnei huringa, engari kāore e taea e te Karauna te ārahi, waihoki me kaua e ārahi.
Ināianei e wātea ana He Pāharakeke, he Rito Whakakīkinga Whāruarua kia tīkina ake:
He Pāharakeke, he Rito Whakakīkinga Whāruarua: Te Ruku Tātari Kōhukihuki mō Oranga Tamariki – Putanga i Mua i te Whakaputanga [PDF, 7Mb](hononga o waho)
Mō ngā pakirehua arapāho katoa, whakapā ki media@justice.govt.nz
The Oranga Tamariki (Section 7AA) Urgent Inquiry Report
the Oranga Tamariki (section 7AA) Urgent Inquiry
On 29 April 2025, The Tribunal issued an interim report, The Oranga Tamariki (Section 7AA) Urgent Inquiry Report, in pre-publication form.
The report concerns claims submitted to the Tribunal under urgency regarding the Crown’s policy to repeal section 7AA of the Oranga Tamariki Act 1989. Section 7AA imposes specific duties on the chief executive of Oranga Tamariki so as to provide a practical commitment to the principles of the Treaty of Waitangi
A key policy objective of section 7AA was to reduce the disproportionate number of Māori entering into care and to improve outcomes for those tamariki already in care. Under section 7AA, iwi or Māori organisations may enter into strategic partnerships with the chief executive. There are 10 strategic partnership agreements under section 7AA currently in place, as well as nine relationships with post-settlement governance entities, some of whom are also strategic partners.
The claimants and interested parties argued that the repeal of section 7AA and the absence of consultation with Māori and the Crown’s strategic partners breached the Crown’s Treaty duties.
Because of its interim status, the report contains no findings or recommendations but it raises three matters for the government’s consideration:
- the Tribunal’s concern that the government’s singular focus on the implementation of a commitment made in one of the coalition agreements has caused it to disregard its obligations under the Treaty;
- the Tribunal’s concern that the rushed repeal of section 7AA will cause actual harm; and
- the availability of a more principled way forward under section 448B of the Act.
The panel comprised Judge Michael Doogan (presiding), Kim Ngarimu, and Tā William Te Rangiua (Pou) Temara.