Latest news with #Chhour
The Spinoff
3 days ago
- Health
- The Spinoff
Star Wars jokes and surgeries, not strategies: Inside scrutiny week, part two
The vibes were tense as ministers and officials got a grilling in the final two days of scrutiny week, where government spending is put under the microscope. Health The energy was testy, to say the least, when health minister Simeon Brown faced the health committee at Bowen House on Wednesday morning. More accurately, Brown faced off with former health minister and current Labour health spokesperson Ayesha Verrall, who caused a bit of a delay as things kicked off by attempting to move that the session be extended by 30 minutes (she was voted down on that), then that only the opposition could ask questions (again, she was voted down). Verrall and Brown argued over deficits, medicines and bed shortages, and when they failed to see eye-to-eye, Brown would challenge her to 'look in the mirror'. When Green MP Hūhana Lyndon asked why the minister had recently decided to repeal the health charter and sector principles in the Pae Ora (Healthy Futures) Act 2022, many of which are underpinned by obligations to the Treaty of Waitangi, Brown said the frameworks didn't have enough focus on patient outcomes. 'If you look at those health sector principles, one of them is requiring the health system to deliver against climate change obligations,' Brown said. 'We have a ministry for the environment for that. I want surgeries, not strategies.' Oranga Tamariki That tense atmosphere persisted all day. In select committee room 5, the social services and community committee gathered just before midday to hear from children's minister Karen Chhour on Oranga Tamariki spending, but committee member Willow-Jean Prime ( Labour's children's spokesperson) was more keen to talk about the second preliminary youth boot camp evaluation released on Friday, and why the minister hadn't bothered to send out a press release to let anyone know it existed. 'I don't usually make it my personal job to pick up the phone and ring you,' Chhour told her. It wasn't an easy session for Chhour. Prime and Labour colleague Helen White grilled and heckled her over the boot camp pilot, the unrevealed reoffending rates and the fact that six of the nine rangatahi who went through the pilot were now in a youth justice facility. When committee chair Joseph Mooney attempted to turn the heat down by blocking Prime's questions and asking her to be silent, Prime bit back at him, too. The constant hubbub was enough to make NZ First's Tanya Unkovich snap 'show some respect!' But to her credit, Chhour was candid when she spoke about the grief experienced by these rangatahi following a death in the cohort, and how it 'derailed some of these young people mentally'. Pilot lead Iain Chapman told the committee that reoffending rates were 'not a sign of failure or success of a programme … it's about trying something different for these young people' – but he couldn't convince the opposition that the price tag and outcomes had been worth it. Whānau Ora The hearing into Whānau Ora's spending was a funny one, considering two of the Māori affairs committee members (Labour's Willie Jackson and Te Pāti Māori's Takutai Tarsh Kemp) once had leadership roles in the Whānau Ora Commissioning Agency (WOCA). Though WOCA wasn't the only agency to lose its Whānau Ora contract earlier this year, it was naturally at the forefront of many of the opposition's questions. Jackson, putting it 'all on the table', was reassured by both Māori development minister Tama Potaka and Te Puni Kōkiri chief executive Dave Samuels that neither cabinet nor any minister had a say in the Whānau Ora tender, nor was WOCA's contract rescinded because its CEO, John Tamihere, is also the president of Te Pāti Māori. After telling Labour's Peeni Henare the Whānau Ora tender was 'brown-clad', in response to concerns mainstream providers could one day be favoured over Māori ones, Potaka only had 'Oh! Ka pai!' to say to Kemp. She used the last few minutes of the hearing to lament the 'waste of time' the changeover in contracts had been for providers – 'we already had a commissioning agency that did that [navigator reporting and regulated outcomes], and there's evidence for days to prove that, so your responses don't make sense'. 'I don't think there was a question,' Samuels responded. Media Broadcasting minister Paul Goldsmith had to assure the social services and community committee on Wednesday afternoon that it was 'certainly not my expectation' that RNZ Concerts would be on the chopping block in light of recent cuts to RNZ's funding. At the end of the day, 'it's ultimately up to the [RNZ] board'. With that life-or-death matter out of the way, Goldsmith was free to confirm that he would be making progress on a domestic screen production rebate, had no commitment to regulating streaming platforms and, no, Winston Peters was not responsible for the aforementioned RNZ cuts. But he did have an inspirational message to the media industry: 'Get out there and keep on hustling.' There was a slight uproar at the end from Labour's Reuben Davidson and Rachel Brooking, both of whom couldn't believe committee chair Mooney called the hearing off with one minute to spare – precious grilling time, gone to waste. 'Let's just say we got shut down before our time,' Brooking complained. 'Like the media,' Davidson remarked. Environment Thursday morning in Bowen House was slightly awkward. Environment minister Penny Simmonds, RMA minister Chris Bishop and biosecurity minister Andrew Hoggard were gathered to talk about Vote Environment, and it didn't take very long for one of the ministers to put their foot in it. When Act MP Simon Court asked his party colleague Hoggard what should be done about Te Mana o Te Wai – a concept underpinning the National Policy Statement on Freshwater Management that recognises and upholds the health and mauri of water – the minister said the government needed to 'balance things out' so that the 'life force of the water' didn't come ahead of economic growth (as promised in the Act-National coalition agreement). 'There's a whole range of spiritual concepts in [Te Mana o Te Wai] – what is the life force? As a Star Wars fan, when someone says 'the life force' I'm thinking, 'what's the midi-chlorian count?'' 'That was a joke,' Hoggard explained, to not a single laugh from the room.
Newsroom
3 days ago
- Politics
- Newsroom
‘Reports of concern' rose 60 percent after Govt cut child safety contracts
Children's Minister Karen Chhour is defending higher reporting of possible harm against children in the months after her cost-cutting directives led to Oranga Tamariki dropping community agencies. The 11th-hour withdrawal of contracts a year ago, with only hours of notice over Matariki weekend, left the agencies having to try to find other providers to care for children in trouble, and led to a damning report from the Auditor-General. At a Scrutiny Week select committee hearing on Wednesday, Chhour faced questioning from opposition MPs over the impact of those cuts. Green Party MP Kahurangi Carter highlighted Oranga Tamariki's own numbers from a report before the social services committee that showed 'reports of concern' about children to the ministry rose by 58.7 percent for the second half of 2024 against numbers for the same period a year earlier. 'This occurred after your government cut or 'reprioritised' $120m from frontline community providers and $41.2m from Oranga Tamariki's back office in 2023-24, involving 403 job losses at OT.' Carter quizzed Chhour, from the Act Party, on further plans in the 2025-26 Budget to cut more in the back office and prevention. 'How can you justify continuing to hollow out a system in the face of such a dramatic surge in need under your watch,' she asked. Carter said the 58.7 percent increase was from 34,719 reports of concern in the second half of 2023 to 55,171 in the same period last year. Chhour's response? 'There are people within our communities and other government agencies that are concerned about our young people, making reports of concern – and I encourage that to continue because that's how we get oversight of our young people. 'Every report of concern is not necessarily something that Oranga Tamariki has to intervene in. We need to make sure that when that report of concern happens, if not by Oranga Tamariki it is addressed by other agencies.' She said the goal was to have the 'right people in the right places' to help, but not necessarily OT. Chhour hit out at Carter's questioning. 'To make the big assumption that reports of concern are caused by the Government – I find that quite concering. A report of concern means that a child has been put in a situation where someone believes that child is in a dangerous environment that needs support.' The rushed changes in mid-2024 to which agencies would have OT contracts to provide services for tamariki and rangatahi were the subject of one of the Auditor-General's harshest reports in years. It pointd to a cluster of poor practice, bad execution and near non-existent communication from the children's ministry in cutting around $60m in its contract spend, cancelling around 30 agencies' funding for 2024/25 and trying to strong arm others by not paying its bills on time. The 64-page inquiry report says Oranga Tamariki decision makers did not adequately establish what the changes would mean for the children needing care. Worse, the agency simultaneously moved last year to accentuate a policy of grabbing back from some providers all money it said they underspent and had instead put into their reserves. 'Previously, Oranga Tamariki had generally allowed providers to retain funding even if they had not achieved 100 percent of all contracted measures,' the Auditor-General's office said. 'For example, providers could move funding from under-utilised services to over-utilised services to meet demand.' The select committee hearing on Wednesday saw Labour's Willow-Jean Prime press Chhour over further cuts to community service providers. The minister told her the Auditor-General had a right to say what he said, but she believed the contracting process needed accountability. 'I do not accept what was happening previously and it could not continue … Contracts are not guaranteed. I do not apologise for making sure our contracts are meeting the needs of our young people … we need to make sure that money has been spent well.' Chhour faced questioning over her commitment to Māori children's needs, with MPs pointing out rangatahi make up 70 percent of those in care but just 30 percent of funding goes to Māori providers. 'I accept I'm responsible for every child. It does not matter what ethnicity.' Te Pāti Māori MP Mariemo Kapa-Kingi interjected: 'It has to matter.' Chhour: 'I'm responsible for all children who need help in care, all children who need help wrapped around them, not by their ethnicity … I'm not going to box a child …' Kapa-Kingi: 'Culture is a box minister?' The committee chair Joseph Mooney intervened, stopping the questioning. Kahurangi Carter told Chhour an Independent Children's Monitor report found Māori were over-represented and the system was still letting them down. Chhour said she did accept that report and OT shared the concerns about over-representation not only in children's protection statistics but in education and health.
Scoop
11-06-2025
- Politics
- Scoop
New Report Confirms Oranga Tamariki Is Failing Tamariki And Government Is Failing Māori
Press Release – Green Party We cannot continue to repeat history and pave the way for another Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in Care. We cannot let the Government give up on our most vulnerable kids by repeating cycles that have been continuing for generations. A new report, 'Outcomes for tamariki and rangatahi Māori and their whānau in the oranga tamariki system 2023/24,' has confirmed that Oranga Tamariki is severely failing our most vulnerable Māori youth. 'The Government is setting our tamariki up to fail by throwing them into a system that harms instead of helps our kids who are most in need,' says the Green Party's spokesperson for Children, Kahurangi Carter. 'Our tamariki and rangatahi deserve to be loved, nurtured and safe in whānau and communities that have what they need to support their wellbeing. 'Today's report confirms that tamariki and rangatahi Māori are significantly over-represented in the Oranga Tamariki system and significantly under-supported. Māori youth make up two-thirds of those in state care, and make up almost 50 per cent of reports of concern made to Oranga Tamariki. 'We cannot continue to repeat history and pave the way for another Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in Care. We cannot let the Government give up on our most vulnerable kids by repeating cycles that have been continuing for generations. 'Minister Chhour has deliberately undermined Oranga Tamariki by scrapping 7AA and cutting $120m of funding for services contracted to support vulnerable youth. This resulted in Kōkiri Marae, a marae which runs education, health and social services in Pito-one, losing $1.5 million of funding overnight. This is unacceptable. 'A Green Government would create a system that centres tamariki Māori in all levels of government, with dedicated structures that ensure accountability to them. We will uphold the tino rangatiratanga of every tamaiti by centring whakapapa and te ao Māori, with whānau and hapū leading decisions affecting tamariki and rangatahi. 'The oranga of our tamariki and rangatahi must be at the heart of decision-making. It really is as simple as that,' says Kahurangi Carter. Notes Other key outcomes of the report are: Māori who have been in care are far more likely to face mental health issues and housing instability as adults. Intergenerational cycles persist, with 70% of Māori parents who were in care now having children involved with OT. Despite some efforts, the below barriers persist: High thresholds mean many reports of concern result in no action. Whānau-led processes like Family Group Conferences are under-resourced and poorly implemented. Early support is often missed, increasing the risk of deeper system involvement. Funding decisions have undermined trust and reduced effective services, particularly for iwi and kaupapa Māori providers. There is insufficient prioritisation across agencies and siloed approaches worsening outcomes.
Scoop
11-06-2025
- Politics
- Scoop
New Report Confirms Oranga Tamariki Is Failing Tamariki And Government Is Failing Māori
A new report, 'Outcomes for tamariki and rangatahi Māori and their whānau in the oranga tamariki system 2023/24,' has confirmed that Oranga Tamariki is severely failing our most vulnerable Māori youth. 'The Government is setting our tamariki up to fail by throwing them into a system that harms instead of helps our kids who are most in need," says the Green Party's spokesperson for Children, Kahurangi Carter. 'Our tamariki and rangatahi deserve to be loved, nurtured and safe in whānau and communities that have what they need to support their wellbeing. 'Today's report confirms that tamariki and rangatahi Māori are significantly over-represented in the Oranga Tamariki system and significantly under-supported. Māori youth make up two-thirds of those in state care, and make up almost 50 per cent of reports of concern made to Oranga Tamariki. 'We cannot continue to repeat history and pave the way for another Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in Care. We cannot let the Government give up on our most vulnerable kids by repeating cycles that have been continuing for generations. 'Minister Chhour has deliberately undermined Oranga Tamariki by scrapping 7AA and cutting $120m of funding for services contracted to support vulnerable youth. This resulted in Kōkiri Marae, a marae which runs education, health and social services in Pito-one, losing $1.5 million of funding overnight. This is unacceptable. 'A Green Government would create a system that centres tamariki Māori in all levels of government, with dedicated structures that ensure accountability to them. We will uphold the tino rangatiratanga of every tamaiti by centring whakapapa and te ao Māori, with whānau and hapū leading decisions affecting tamariki and rangatahi. 'The oranga of our tamariki and rangatahi must be at the heart of decision-making. It really is as simple as that,' says Kahurangi Carter. Notes Other key outcomes of the report are: Māori who have been in care are far more likely to face mental health issues and housing instability as adults. Intergenerational cycles persist, with 70% of Māori parents who were in care now having children involved with OT. Despite some efforts, the below barriers persist: High thresholds mean many reports of concern result in no action. Whānau-led processes like Family Group Conferences are under-resourced and poorly implemented. Early support is often missed, increasing the risk of deeper system involvement. Funding decisions have undermined trust and reduced effective services, particularly for iwi and kaupapa Māori providers. There is insufficient prioritisation across agencies and siloed approaches worsening outcomes.
Scoop
03-06-2025
- Health
- Scoop
Protecting Families By Protecting Pets – A National Call To Action
Press Release – New Zealand Government Together, we can shine a light on this issue and bring about change. Lets make sure no family member two-legged or four-legged is left behind in the journey to safety, says Mrs Chhour. Minister for the Prevention of Family and Sexual Violence Minister for the Prevention of Family and Sexual Violence Karen Chhour is advocating for increased protections for family pets in family violence incidents. 'I want to talk about some hidden victims of domestic abuse – our pets,' says Mrs Chhour. 'New Zealand unfortunately has unacceptably high rates of family violence in the developed world, and at the same time one of the highest rates of pet ownership. 'Pets are part of the family. They are our companions, our comfort, often a source of unconditional love. Tragically, this means that when family violence happens, our animals are often caught in the crossfire. 'Abusers know how much their victims love their pets, and they use that love as a weapon. 'Many people are shocked to learn how deeply linked pet abuse is with domestic violence. According to the latest research from Women's Refuge: • 53% of women in abusive relationships delayed leaving their violent partner out of fear for their pet's safety. Over half of victims hesitate to escape because they cannot ensure their pet will be safe without them. • About 24% of women (nearly 1 in 4) had a pet killed by their abuser. This horrifying statistic shows that for a significant number of survivors, their worst fears were realised – their beloved companion was brutally taken from them. • Frontline agencies are reporting a rise in sadistic violence toward animals in domestic abuse cases. These are not isolated incidents; they are part of a pattern of extreme cruelty designed to instil terror. 'These numbers and examples are shocking and painful to hear, but sadly they reflect the reality for families across the country and in every community. 'Talking about this issue is important, but taking action is even more important. 'Today, I'm both asking for your help and making a commitment as Minister. 'Please spread the word that if you or someone you know is experiencing family violence, remember that you can include pets on Protection Orders. 'Under New Zealand's Family Violence Act, when you apply for a Protection Order, you can ask the Family Court to add a special condition to protect your animals. This means the abuser can be legally forbidden from hurting or taking the pets. 'Too few people know about this so I would encourage everyone to tell your friends, family, and colleagues. 'My commitment is to strengthen these protections. 'I will be advocating to colleagues that we urgently need to update the Protection Order application and affidavit forms. We need these forms to explicitly cover pets and animal safety. 'I am also pushing for improved training and guidance so that lawyers, judges, and support workers routinely consider pets in every family violence case. 'Our courts and our system must recognise that pets are family, and that protecting them is part of protecting victims. 'This will be a team effort by all of us, we all have a role to play in stopping this cycle of abuse. 'It can be as simple as checking in on a friend if you suspect they're afraid to leave an abusive home because of a pet. 'It can be educating our children that kindness to animals and people is non-negotiable. 'No one should have to live in fear, and no animal should suffer as a pawn in domestic violence. 'Together, we can shine a light on this issue and bring about change. Let's make sure no family member – two-legged or four-legged – is left behind in the journey to safety,' says Mrs Chhour.
