Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has spoken out for the first time about the number of Māori children removed from their whānau into State care. They are being described as New Zealand's own 'stolen generation'.
This comes as changes to Oranga Tamariki are being strongly recommended.
Ardern says, "No one wants children to be removed from their families. The ultimate goal has to be ensuring that we do all we can to create and support families to ensure those removals aren't necessary."
The issue has again come to the fore after distressing footage of police attempting to remove a baby from its mother was shared by media website, Newsroom.
Phil Dinham of Oranga Tamariki says, "We're trying to make sure that we partner up and work closely under the Treaty. Partnership, participation, protection, we want to do those things with local iwi."
Chairman of the Māori Council, Mathew Tukaki says, "They're our stolen generation. When you have a look at the number of our Māori children in state care, sitting at above, often, 70%, [with] more than 80% of those in juvenile detention being our Māori children. Something is systematically broken and this is not new."
The National government at the time claimed working alongside iwi and Māori organisations would decrease the total number of children taken from their whānau.
National MP Paula Bennett says, "If children are not safe within their actual home, with their parents you can at least keep them connected...we managed to reduce the number of children uplifted and I think that's really important."
Ardern says the government's Wellbeing Budget focuses on the right places- on improving child wellbeing and addressing family violence.
"You'll see in the Budget, you'll see we've actually invested in early intervention, more support around families to prevent those removals in the first place and I do think that's where the focus needs to be.
"Unfortunately we do have situations which require children to be kept safe and ultimately some children will need to be removed."