Key findings
In our last report, we showed how Māori are over-represented in the system and found it was letting them down. This has not changed.
In both this report and our 2023/24 report, we found that more must be done. This is because both short- and long-term outcomes for Māori involved in the system are much worse than for Māori not known to Oranga Tamariki | Ministry for Children. Outcomes for Māori are often also worse than for non-Māori. Data continues to show that, overall, the more involved and Māori have been in the system, the worse their long-term outcomes. There are also clear disparities within the system and how it delivers support.
Unmet care and protection needs have a long tail of impact across the lives of tamariki and rangatahi Māori. While long-term outcomes are not necessarily caused by involvement in the oranga tamariki system, if they are to improve and inequities to reduce, responses that better meet the needs of Māori are required.
We set pou to monitor system performance over the long term. One of our pou marks intergenerational involvement in the oranga tamariki system. Almost two-thirds of Māori parents aged 27–30 who had been in care themselves have tamariki or rangatahi known to Oranga Tamariki. To achieve progress on reducing intergenerational involvement requires the right responses at the earliest opportunity.
Failure to provide the right response at the earliest opportunity is evident in youth justice
We found 95 percent of tamariki and rangatahi Māori in youth justice had at least one report of concern made about them when they were younger. Half had 10 or more reports of concern. This compares with 82 percent of non-Māori in youth justice with at least one report of concern and almost one-third with 10 or more reports of concern.
This link with unmet care and protection needs has long been recognised, but the focus continues to be on the offence rather than addressing the issues that led to this behaviour. To do that would require addressing the safety and needs of tamariki and rangatahi Māori when they are younger and in a holistic way. The trauma that can result from harm that has occurred to tamariki Māori when help is not provided early enough, or their needs not being met, will have lifelong consequences if not addressed.
Tamariki Māori have higher unmet care and protection needs and worse outcomes than non-Māori
If the oranga tamariki system was successful, it would keep tamariki and rangatahi safe and put supports in place early for tamariki, rangatahi and their to avoid escalation through the system now and in the future – for example, addressing needs such as parental drug and alcohol addiction or challenges faced by tamariki and rangatahi such as behavioural and learning needs.
This year we have taken a closer look at the level of unmet needs and missed opportunities for Māori compared to non-Māori.
We found that not only were repeated reports of concern made more frequently for tamariki and rangatahi Māori but those considered critical or very urgent were responded to more slowly. Tamariki and rangatahi Māori in care are less likely to have the National Care Standards Regulations met and rangatahi are not being well set up to live independently:
- Almost a quarter of tamariki and rangatahi Māori notified to Oranga Tamariki in 2024/25 had already had 10 or more reports of concern about their safety and wellbeing. This suggests that responses to earlier reports may not have been effective. Only 13 percent of non-Māori had this level of repeated reports of concern.
- Reports of concern considered critical or very urgent are less likely to be responded to in required timeframes for Māori than non- Māori. In 2024/25, almost 480 critical or very urgent reports of concern about tamariki and rangatahi Māori were not responded to in time. This represents 16 percent of critical or very urgent reports of concern for Māori compared to 10 percent for non-Māori.
- Māori in care are less likely to be visited by their social worker. Only 63 percent of tamariki and rangatahi Māori were visited by their social worker at the required frequency compared to 73 percent of non-Māori.
- Regular attendance at secondary school is lower for Māori than non-Māori – and worse for those in care or custody. Of those in care or custody, 29 percent of Māori attended secondary school regularly in 2023 compared to 41 percent of non-Māori.
- Rangatahi Māori aged 18–25 who have been in care or custody are less likely to hold a driver licence than non-Māori – 26 percent of Māori had a driver licence in 2023 compared to 38 percent of non-Māori.
- Māori aged 18–25 who have been in the oranga tamariki system use emergency housing more than their non-Māori peers. For those who have been in care or custody, 6 percent of Māori used emergency housing in 2023 compared to 4 percent of non-Māori.
Successful -led initiatives and strategic partnerships need to be the base for broader longterm change, and this should happen faster
The Oranga Tamariki Act 1989 enables a greater role for iwi, Māori and community organisations. Oranga Tamariki tells us it wants iwi, Māori and community to have a greater role in delivery and commissioning of services and to work in partnership with them. This greater role could include delegation of powers that sit within the Oranga Tamariki Act. Some iwi and Māori organisations are ready to step into this role. The challenges, as always, are implementation and the slow pace of change.
As our report shows, there are initiatives that are delivering for tamariki and rangatahi Māori and their whānau involved with Oranga Tamariki.
- Mahuru in Te Tai Tokerau, delivered by Ngāpuhi Iwi Social Services, is delivering a kaupapa Māori model of care for rangatahi involved in youth justice.
- Te Pūkāea in the Bay of Plenty, delivered by Te Tohu o Te Ora o Ngāti Awa, is providing support at the earliest opportunity. It triages reports of concern, ensuring all tamariki and rangatahi are visited and whānau are offered services and support. Those requiring statutory intervention are referred to Oranga Tamariki.
- Hapori in Greater Wellington, led by Te Rūnanga o Toa Rangatira in partnership with other providers, ensures that whānau are offered services and supports from trusted community providers following a report of concern. In 2024/25, 157 whānau Māori with 353 tamariki were supported this way. Although outside the reporting period, recent data shows that this site (Porirua) had the lowest renotification rate in the region.
However, these initiatives continue to be limited pilots and prototypes without longterm certainty from Oranga Tamariki. Where there is evidence of success, these pilots and prototypes need to become business as usual and stop being the exception. Faster growth is needed. We want to see more initiatives like these, more quickly.
These challenges sit against a backdrop in which there was significant disruption to Oranga Tamariki funding and contracting. We heard about the long-term consequences of decisions for iwi, Māori and community organisations.
Oranga Tamariki has started to address these challenges and is working on a broader commissioning approach. We will be looking to see how it responds to the finding from Tumuaki o te Mana Arotake | Office of the Auditor-General about the need to take account of impacts on tamariki, rangatahi and their whānau. Providers need to be set up to deliver effective services for tamariki, rangatahi and their whānau. We will continue to monitor whether, and how, any funding is reduced and whether agencies with funding and contracting roles are meeting their responsibilities in the oranga tamariki system.
Current data does not show the full extent of disparity or enable system effectiveness to be measured
Good data and analysis are needed to assess, on an ongoing basis, whether services and supports are meeting the needs of tamariki, rangatahi and their whānau.
At present, agencies are not always able to see ethnicity in data. This is particularly a problem for Ngā Pirihimana o | New Zealand Police, whose collection and recording of ethnicity data does not meet Tatauranga Aotearoa | Stats NZ guidelines. The ethnicity of around 30 percent of rangatahi who offend is not recorded by NZ Police, which undermines its ability to determine the effectiveness of its response for Māori.
In addition, Oranga Tamariki is producing less analysis of disparities and has not been adequately recording referrals to services – or tracking whether those services are making a difference.
This poor data and lack of analysis mean the opportunity to improve the effectiveness of services is lost. This makes it harder to improve long-term outcomes and break intergenerational cycles.