Karen Chhour: Children's Minister on the Government scrapping 'outdated' Oranga Tamariki requirements

The Children's Minister says 'outdated' requirements could be institutionalising kids by limiting resources.  

The Government is scrapping Oranga Tamariki targets for placing children with family and investing with Māori organisations. 

A Bill passed last week to remove Treaty provisions from the Children's Ministry. 

Children's Minister Karen Chhour says she hears non-Māori caregivers have felt unwanted in recent years. 

"I want good caregivers, people who are willing to open up their homes and love these kids, to feel comfortable putting their hands up knowing that they can do a good job for these young people."

LISTEN ABOVE

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Ordering on somebody, Key is getting rid of its target
to put fifty eight percent of the kids in its
care with the wid Afano.

Speaker 2 (00:06):
Now.

Speaker 1 (00:06):
It did this, it's said, because it needed to get
children back to their families. It's also ditching a target
for investment with MALDI organizations. The Minister for Children is
Karen Chare. She says it's part of a strategy quote
to put safety first. She's with me now, minister.

Speaker 2 (00:22):
Good evening, Oh, good evening, how are you very well?

Speaker 1 (00:25):
Thank you, thanks for being with me. So what's the
problem with the target?

Speaker 2 (00:30):
So ordering a Toomidekei has a lot of targets when
it comes to how we make decisions and care for
our children that come to our attention. When I first
became minister, I was concerned by the amount of internal
targets that we had that aren't directly related to the
core purpose of the organization, which is care and protection,

(00:52):
and we weren't doing that well to be honest, and
so I want the focus to go back to the
safety and the well being of a young people and
make sure that our targets are actually aimed at that.
So the target around requiring OT to place fifty eight
percent of children in care with wider family and faro
sounds good, but what happens if there are no wide

(01:15):
afano to care for those children, and if we have
a target of caregivers, more Maori caregivers, We've actually got
another problem. Now we don't have enough plates for these
young people to go. My concern is they're going to
become institutionalized because we don't have placements because of this targetquence.

Speaker 1 (01:35):
So because ordering a tumid key required that they have
more Maori caregivers, they've got less caregivers overall because they
weren't enough Maori ones.

Speaker 2 (01:45):
But they weren't enough caregivers all up this this this requirement.

Speaker 1 (01:50):
Were not put their hands up, but were they not
looking for caregivers White caregivers.

Speaker 2 (01:58):
That number decline and many keygivers that were not Mary
felt that they weren't wanted or needed. Over the last
few years that the feedback I was getting they told
you and I want yep and I want good cygivers.
People who are willing to open up their homes and
love these kids and care for these kids in a

(02:18):
safe way. To feel comfortable putting their hands up knowing
that they can do a good job for these young people.

Speaker 1 (02:26):
Karen Sure, appreciate your time, Minister for Children. For more
from Hither dou Glassy Allen Drive, listen live to news
talks they'd be from four pm weekdays, or follow the
podcast on iHeartRadio