About tamariki and rangatahi Māori in the oranga tamariki system
This part of the report includes data about tamariki and rangatahi Māori in the oranga tamariki system.
This report focuses on tamariki and rangatahi Māori. We define this group as anyone who identifies as Māori, including where they also identify as other ethnicities.14 Sometimes we compare this group to the non-Māori population, which we define as anyone who does not identify as Māori.
Ethnicity data collected by government agencies is used in this report and reflects the limitations and inconsistencies in how agencies collect it. Oranga Tamariki records each ethnicity that tamariki and rangatahi identify with. NZ Police records a single ethnicity per individual.
Around a third of tamariki and rangatahi interacting with NZ Police in 2024/25 did not have their ethnicity recorded.
The estimated population of Aotearoa New Zealand aged 0–18 is
1.25 million
338,000
of those are tamariki and rangatahi Māori.16 One-third of those identify as Māori only, while two-thirds identify with other ethnic groups as well.
The majority of tamariki and rangatahi Māori in Aotearoa have never had any interaction with the oranga tamariki system
In 2024/25:
- 9 in 100 tamariki and rangatahi Māori have had a report of concern made to Oranga Tamariki about their safety or wellbeing
- 1 in 100 tamariki and rangatahi Māori have spent time in the care20 of Oranga Tamariki
- 2 in 100 tamariki and rangatahi Māori aged 10–18 have been subject to a police proceeding
- 1 in 330 tamariki and rangatahi Māori aged 10–18 have been in custody under youth justice orders.
However, tamariki and rangatahi Māori are more likely to be involved in the oranga tamariki system
| Māori | Non-Māori | |
| Tamariki and rangatahi in Aotearoa21 | 27% (338,000) | 73% (918,000) |
| Had a report of concern about their safety or wellbeing | 57% (30,600) | 43% (22,900) |
| Had a report of concern that progressed to a core assessment22 | 60% (17,700) | 40% (11,900) |
| Had a police proceeding23 | 59% (2,960) | 41% (2,070) |
| Were in care24 | 68% (3,440) | 32% (1,590) |
| Were in youth justice custody25 | 80% (490) | 20% (120) |
The proportions of non-Māori and Māori above are based on all tamariki and rangatahi with a recorded ethnicity.26 Ethnicity is more likely to be recorded for tamariki and rangatahi who have had a higher level of involvement with the system. This differs to the approach taken in our 2023/24 Outcomes for Māori report, where those with unknown ethnicity were identified as a separate group. In Appendix Three, we provide data to show how many tamariki and rangatahi are recorded as having unknown ethnicity for each of the levels of system involvement.
Males are over-represented in care or custody
In the youth population there is a broadly even split of male and female tamariki and rangatahi Māori. However, in the care or custody population, there are more males than females.
| Female / Wāhine | 41.8% |
| Male / Tane | 57.8% |
| Unknown | 0.2% |
| Another gender/ He ira kē anō | 0.2% |
Māori in care or custody are more likely to be disabled than those with no involvement with Oranga Tamariki
| No Oranga Tamariki involvement | 16% |
| Care and protection and/or youth justice intervention | 18% |
| In care or custody | 30% |
For tamariki and rangatahi Māori in care, living with whānau is the most common placement type
Tamariki and rangatahi Māori remain in care and protection custody longer than non-Māori
| Tamariki / rangatahi Māori | Non-Māori tamariki / rangatahi | |
| Less than1 year | 17% | 19% |
| 1–5 years | 32% | 38% |
| More than 5 years | 51% | 43% |
14 In the case of younger tamariki, ethnicity is usually identified by a parent or guardian on their behalf.
15 These figures come from Stats NZ National Ethnic Population projection at June 2025 (2023 base).
16 Māori population is calculated based on the number of people who identify as Māori.
17 stats.govt.nz/news/one-in-three-children-projected-to-be-maori
18 See footnote 15.
19 These figures come from Stats NZ National Ethnic Population projection at June 2045 (2023 base).
20 Where we refer to ‘care’ rather than ‘care or custody’, this is to indicate that we are only including care and protection and not youth justice custody.
21 These figures come from Stats NZ National Ethnic population projection as at 30 June 2025, aged 0–18, 2023 (base).
22 As the outcome of a report of concern was that further action was required.
23 This measure only includes data for tamariki and rangatahi aged 10–18.
24 See footnote 20.
25 See footnote 23.
26 Ethnicity is recorded for 85 percent of those who had a report of concern about their safety or wellbeing, 92 percent of those who had a report of concern that progressed to a core assessment, 68 percent of those involved in police proceedings, 99.1 percent of those in care under care or protection orders and 100 percent of those in custody under youth justice orders.
27 Stats NZ Integrated Data Infrastructure — IDI (2023). Results from IDI analysis are not official statistics. They have been created for research purposes from the IDI, which is carefully managed by Stats NZ. For more information about the IDI, visit stats.govt.nz/ integrated-data
28 Among tamariki and rangatahi in care and protection custody on 30 June 2025.
29 This was called ‘NGO / Iwi social services’ in our 2023/24 Outcomes for Māori report.