There is a strong desire to work in a way and many organisations work holistically and relationally, considering the whole . Resourcing, contracting and policy can get in the way of this.
Summary of our visit to East Coast, Hawke's Bay, Tararua and Waiarapa
We met with 624 people in the East Coast, Hawke's Bay, Tararua, Waiarapa area in February 2026. Read the summary of our findings by downloading the PDF or reading the content below.
74,400 |
and in the region1 |
|
4,900 |
had a report of concern about their safety or wellbeing | |
2,330 |
had a report of concern that progressed to a core assessment2 | |
620 |
had a police proceeding3 | |
490 |
were in custody and care | |
440 |
were in care and protection | |
50 |
were in youth justice custody | |
Output-driven contracts make it difficult for services to provide flexible, holistic, or relational support.
Individuals make working collaboratively possible despite, rather than because of, the way government agencies operate. If these individuals leave their roles, collaboration often stops.
Professionals feel the threshold for Oranga Tamariki to take statutory action on their reports of concern is too high. continue to be in unsafe situations and without the early intervention needed, can end up deeper in the oranga tamariki system.
Disagreement between Oranga Tamariki and Education about who should fund education support can prevent attending school.
There are significant delays in getting disability diagnosis and limited funding for support for disabled and and those who are caring for them.
Rangatahi
“[Teacher at iwi social service bespoke educational programme] teaches me about painting, like tradie stuff. I went and got [Site Safe certificate for working in construction sites]. [Iwi social service] organised that and there's other ones [certificates] they do too.”
Whānau caregiver
“It is easier, they [Māori social worker] know and they just understand values without me having to explain it. They just know what I mean.”
Caregiver
“We are down to [a few hours a day of teacher aide support], but funding is still there if [child] needs it. Open Home Foundation were great. [Child] won four academic awards last year despite [learning disability]. [Child] just wouldn’t have got that level of funding and support to thrive to that level [had it not been for Open Home Foundation].”
Health kaimahi
"The system is not supporting children in its care. At least 15 [tamariki] in our service need equipment and not one person is responsible. You can have all of these children, but Oranga Tamariki, Health, Ora, [community service organisation] are all not delivering. Not one person [in that group] is able to be responsible, and the system was not flexible to meet the needs of the in care with significant disabilities. What works well is that all the systems know each other in [region], though it’s the bureaucracy that gets in the way.”
Whānau member
“[Kaimahi from Te Ara Mātua partner has] gone above and beyond. Getting us presents at Christmas, [for child’s] birthday. I don’t know how to explain. [He] went to pick up a bed for us in the rain. He helps with my mental health … Coping with situations where we are just looked at as a piece paper. He sees us. We are not just a number.”
NGO leader
“The key to success and positive outcomes for clients is that a strong relationship and partnership is formed with , caregivers and .”
Outcomes4 for and in the region5
This data is the most recent available in the IDI and covers the 2023 calendar year.
| Involved with OT Regional | Involved with OT National | No OT involvement Regional | |
|---|---|---|---|
| GP visit in last year (aged 0–17) | 70% | 71% | 72% |
| Emergency department visit in the last year | 26% | 25% | 19% |
| Used secondary6 public mental health and addiction services in the last year (aged 14–17) | 23% | 30% | 5% |
| Attended primary/intermediate school regularly (90%+ attendance) | 40% | 42% | 55% |
| Attended secondary school regularly (90%+ attendance) | 26% | 28% | 45% |
| Attained NZQCF7 Level 2 or higher by age 18 | 63% | 66% | 86% |
Outcomes for young adults aged 18–25 who recently exited care or custody8
This data is the most recent available in the IDI and covers the 2023 calendar year.
| Involved with OT Regional | Involved with OT National | No OT involvement Regional | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hold a driver licence | 24% | 25% | 67% |
| On main benefit in the last year | 27% | 29% | 4% |
| Used emergency housing in the last year | 7% | 7% | <1% |
| 47% | of reports of concern referred for further action by the National Contact Centre to local Oranga Tamariki sites actually resulted in further action. The national average is 50%. |
| 55% | of and with Oranga Tamariki care and protection orders have been in care for 6 or more years. . The national average is 45% |
| 25% | of police actions against rangatahi who were alleged to have offended were a warning. The national average is 17%. |
| 57% | of rangatahi arrested by police were bailed to the district or youth court. The national average is 48%. |
1 Total population from Stats NZ 2023 Census, ages 0–18. All other data provided by Oranga Tamariki for January–December 2025.
2 As the outcome of a report of concern was that further action was required.
3 NZ Police data January–December 2025.
4 These are not official statistics. They have been created for research purposes from the Integrated Data Infrastructure (IDI) which is carefully managed by Stats NZ. For more information about the IDI please visit https://www.stats.govt.nz/integrated-data/. Statistics are taken from the most recent (2023) dataset.
5 Outcomes for and who had been involved with Oranga Tamariki in some way in the past year and those who had not. Involvement includes a report of concern, receiving a care and protection or youth justice intervention, or being in care or youth justice custody.
6 This measure does not include primary healthcare settings, such as GP consults, which may also address mental health or addiction issues.
7 For many this will be NCEA level 2 or 3 attained at secondary school. For others, it may be a certificate or diploma from other education providers. 8 Outcomes for rangatahi aged 18–25 who recently exited care or custody and were eligible for Transition Support Services (recently exited care) and those who have never been involved with Oranga Tamariki (no Oranga Tamariki involvement).