Arran Jones: Independent Children's Monitor Chief Executive on the new report revealing outcomes for Māori in state care

New research paints a stark picture of the consequences of Oranga Tamariki's system not helping young Māori enough.

An Independent Children's Monitor report shows tamariki and rangatahi Māori are over-represented - and being let down.

They make up two-thirds of those in care and more than three-quarters in youth justice custody.

Monitor Chief Executive Arran Jones says young Māori adults involved in the system as children are nine times more likely to have lived in emergency housing.

"This report makes the case for that investment approach - putting the right people in place at the earliest time."

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Now, the Independent Children's Monitor has released its first annual
report on how Maori children and young people in the
ordong A Tamitikei system are going. Unfortunately, not too well.
Maori young people in the system are half as likely
to get a qualification as those outside it, and the
five times more likely to need mental health and addiction services.
Aaron Jones is Independent Children's Monitor's Chief executive.

Speaker 2 (00:20):
And with us Now, Hey, Aaron, Yeah, good evening.

Speaker 1 (00:23):
Are you at all surprised by this?

Speaker 2 (00:26):
I think the extent of the harm and some of
these outcomes is a little surprising. I think one of
the things that's perhaps most surprising to me is when
you look at young people who've gone to offend, ninety
two percent of them will have had previous concerns raised
about their safety and well being. So what it says
is there were opportunities earlier to help them that may

(00:47):
not have been taken.

Speaker 1 (00:48):
Howould what would those opportunities look like? How would we
help them?

Speaker 2 (00:52):
Well? Well, I think most children come to the attention
of ORDO on a Tamrici because they have needs. You know,
some of them will have suffered abuse, but a lot
of them will be coming through for welfare reasons, so
impacts of poverty, housing security, you know, family violence, and
poor mental health, both for their faro and for themselves.
And when that comes to the tension of ordering a tamariki,
that's an opportunity for government to all agencies to step

(01:15):
in and try and address those needs so that they
get dealt with early and the support's there so that
these kids don't grow up and then end up becoming
these young offenders.

Speaker 1 (01:24):
Okay, so this is where the Social Investment Agency is
supposed to pull this all together. Do you have confidence
it's going to work well?

Speaker 2 (01:31):
I think moving in the right direction, you know, putting investment,
because this report makes that case for that investment approach,
right doing, putting the right help in place at the
earliest time. And if you can do that in a
way that allows providers just to get on and do
the work. And I'm talking about that. This report's got
plenty of examples about great work being done by eue
Maori providers to walk alongside farno, so working not just

(01:53):
with the kids needs, but the family's needs, you know,
in terms of a youth justice approach, making sure there's
restitution their address and these young people that are addressing offenders.
You know, I heard a great story just the other
day about a young person who had robbed a store.
They're now working there. So this is the thing. You
need to invest in the interventions early before it gets
to crisis. And so my hope is a social investment

(02:14):
approach as a government moves towards that will help with us.

Speaker 1 (02:16):
Brilliant, Hey, thank you so much. I really appreciated Aaron
Aaron Jones, Independent Children's Monitor.

Speaker 2 (02:21):
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