August 01, 2019
Hands Off Our Tamariki marchers reject collaboration
One of the organisers of the hīkoi says the Government wasn't listening to what the hīkoi was saying.
Rihi Tenana says Acting Prime Minister told the marchers the Government wants to work with them under the current Oranga Tamariki system.
That's unacceptable, because the children's Ministry and its predecessors are seen as failing generations of Māori.
"We want an alternative system and we want our way to do that, our pathways for our whānau Māori and especially tamariki to heal. We're not interested in collaboration. And if they were good treaty partners, they would just hand over the resources to a very strong system in whānau ora and other really proactive and active Māori service providers to do that work," Ms Tenana says.
She says Māori are saying enough is enough and they want to protect their own children.
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