Scope

This review is undertaken in accordance with section 26 of the Oversight of Oranga Tamariki System Act 2022 as a review carried out on our own initiative.

It is our second review stemming from recommendation 14 of the report by Dame Karen Poutasi Ensuring strong and effective safety nets to prevent abuse of children¹ (Poutasi report). Recommendation 14 was that Aroturuki TamarikiCloseTamariki
Children (plural) aged 0-13 yearsView the full glossary | Independent Children’s Monitor review the Government’s progress against the 13 other recommendations in the Poutasi report, one year on from its publication.

On 1 August 2024, we published Towards a stronger safety net to prevent abuse of children.² We found that none of the recommendations made in the Poutasi report had been achieved at that time and that tamariki were no safer than when Malachi died. Recommendations that agencies had set themselves in response to their own internal reports were at various stages of implementation.

As work had not progressed to a point where it could be measured and we were unable to report meaningfully on the impact of any changes, we advised a second review would be completed. This is that second review.

As with our first review, we have looked both at responses to the recommendations of the Poutasi report and at the implementation of actions agencies set for themselves. We looked at both the system and at individual agencies and the extent to which agencies, individually or collectively, are contributing to ensuring strong and effective safety nets to prevent the abuse of children.

The agencies that have a lead or supporting responsibility for the recommendations in the Poutasi report and have contributed to this review are listed below. The first six agencies commissioned the Poutasi report and also completed their own reports.

• Oranga Tamariki | Ministry for Children
• Department of Corrections | Ara Poutama AotearoaCloseAotearoa
  New ZealandView the full glossary
• New Zealand Police | Ngā Pirihimana o Aotearoa
• Ministry of Social Development | Te Manatū Whakahiato Ora
• Ministry of Education | Te Tāhuhu o te Mātauranga
• Ministry of Health | Manatū Hauora
• Ministry of Justice | Te Tāhū o te Ture
• Education Review Office | Te Tari Arotake Mātauranga
• Health New Zealand | Te Whatu Ora
• Executive Board for the Elimination of Family Violence and Sexual Violence³

Our objective is to assess whether the actions undertaken by agencies, individually and collectively, are making tamariki safer. To do this, we have sought to understand:

• the progress agencies have made in responding to the Poutasi recommendations and in implementing actions from their own reports
• the outcomes they aim to achieve from these actions and how they will measure the impacts
• the extent to which agencies’ individual and collective actions address the underlying issues and critical gaps identified in the Poutasi report.