The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child is an international human rights treaty which sets out the civil, political, economic, social, health and cultural rights of children. The convention defines a child as any human being under the age of eighteen, unless the age of majority is attained earlier under national legislation.
Child, Youth and Family, was the government agency that had legal powers to intervene to protect and help children who are being abused or neglected or who have problem behaviour until it was replaced by a new Ministry for Vulnerable Children in April 2017. CYF worked with the Police and the Courts in dealing with young offenders under the youth justice system. It provided residential and care services for children in need of care and protection and for young offenders. CYF assessed people who wished to adopt children and it reported to the Family Court on adoption applications. CYF facilitated the exchange of identifying information for parties to past adoptions. The agency also funded community organisations working with children, young people and their families to support the community's role in protecting and helping children.
The Ministry of Social Development (MSD) (Māori: Te Manatū Whakahiato Ora) is the public service department of New Zealand charged with advising the government on social policy, and providing social services.
The Oranga Tamariki Act 1989 or Children's and Young People's Well-being Act 1989 is an Act of the New Zealand Parliament that was passed in 1989. The Act's main purpose is to "promote the well-being of children, young persons, and their families and family groups." In June 2017, the New Zealand Parliament passed amendment legislation renaming the bill the Oranga Tamariki Act 1989.
The Office of theChildren's Commissioner for England is a non-departmental public body in England responsible for promoting and protecting the rights of children as set out in the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, as well as other human rights legislation, such as the Human Rights Act 1998. The Children's Commissioner was established under the Children Act 2004 to "represent the views and interests of children", and the office was further strengthened by the Children and Families Act 2014 providing a legal mandate to promote and protect the rights of children. According to the Commissioner's website, the role's purpose is to facilitate long-term improvements for all children, and in particular for the most vulnerable, and involves “being the eyes and ears of children within the system and the country as a whole", as well as acting with political independence from government, children's agencies and the voluntary and private sectors. The Children's Commissioner also has a duty to speak on behalf of all children in the United Kingdom on non-devolved issues, which include immigration, and youth justice in Wales.
The Crimes Act 1961 is an act of New Zealand Parliament that forms a leading part of the criminal law in New Zealand. It repeals the Crimes Act 1908, itself a successor of the Criminal Code Act 1893. Most crimes in New Zealand are created by the Crimes Act, but some are created elsewhere. All common law offences are abolished by section 9, as are all offences against acts of the British Parliaments, but section 20 saves the old common law defences where they are not specifically altered.
The Social Policy Research and Evaluation Unit, known as Superu and previously known as the Families Commission, was an autonomous New Zealand Crown entity which undertook social science research and advocated to government on behalf of families. It commenced operating on 1 July 2004 and was disestablished on 30 June 2018.
The Office of the Children's Commissioner is an independent New Zealand Crown entity that was established under the Children's Commissioner Act 2003. Its main responsibilities are to protect the rights, health, welfare, and wellbeing of minors under the age of 18 years.
A children's ombudsman, children's commissioner, youth commissioner, child advocate, children's commission, youth ombudsman or equivalent body is a public authority in various countries charged with the protection and promotion of the rights of children and young people, either in society at large, or in specific categories such as children in contact with the care system. The agencies usually have a substantial degree of independence from the executive, the term is often used differently from the original meaning of ombudsman, it is often an umbrella term, often used as a translation convention or national human rights institutions, dealing with individual complaints, intervening with other public authorities, conducting research, and – where their mandate permits them to engage in advocacy – generally promoting children's rights in public policy, law and practice. The first children's commissioner was established in Norway in 1981. The creation of such institutions has been promoted by the United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child, and, from 1990 onwards, by the Council of Europe.
Tracey Anne Martin is a New Zealand politician and a former member of the New Zealand House of Representatives. Until 2021 she was a member of the New Zealand First Party, and served as its Deputy Leader from 2013 to 2015. She served as Minister for Children, Seniors, Internal Affairs and Associate Minister of Education from 2017 to 2020. Martin lost her seat in Parliament during the 2020 New Zealand general election.
The Family Court of New Zealand is a court that specifically exists to assist New Zealanders with family issues. There are 58 Family Courts throughout New Zealand.
New Zealand suffers from one of the highest rates of child poverty in the Western world. Child poverty affects 12% of children in New Zealand, as of the year ended June 2022 according to Statistics New Zealand. The number in 2011 was 285,000, as reported by the Child Poverty Action Group (CPAG). As inequality increased during the mid-2010s, this figure increased to an estimated 295,000 children in 2016, around one in six children in New Zealand. Child poverty has a disproportionately high effect on in Māori and Pasifika households, with 23.3% of Māori children and 28.6% of Pacific children living in poverty. These two ethnic groups struggle particularly due to the lingering effects of forced land alienation and immigration discrimination respectively. The Ministry of Social Development recognises that:
Poverty in the richer nations is about relative disadvantage—it is about households and individuals who have a day-to-day standard of living or access to resources that fall below a minimum acceptable community standard.
The rights of children living in New Zealand are secured through various pieces of legislation. These include the Children's Commissioner Act 2003, the Oranga Tamariki Act 1989, the Care of Children Act 2004, the Education Act 1989, the New Zealand Bill of Rights Act 1990, the Crimes Act 1961, the Human Rights Act 1993, the Privacy Act 1993, and the Official Information Act 1982. The laws and policies comply with the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, which New Zealand ratified on 6 April 1993.
Oranga Tamariki, also known as the Ministry for Children and previously the Ministry for Vulnerable Children, is a government department in New Zealand responsible for the well-being of children, specifically children at risk of harm, youth offenders and children of the State. It is the successor agency of the former department, Child, Youth and Family (CYF).
The Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in Care is a royal commission established in 2018 by the New Zealand government pursuant to the Inquiries Act 2013 to inquire into and report upon responses by institutions to instances and allegations of historical abuse in state care and faith based institutions between 1950 and 2000.
Karen Louise Chhour is a New Zealand politician who was elected to the New Zealand parliament at the 2020 general election as a representative of the ACT New Zealand party.
Andrew John Becroft is a New Zealand Jurist and Barrister. From 2016 until 2021 Becroft was Children's Commissioner. Prior to that, he practised community law, and was a District Court judge and principal judge of the Youth Court of New Zealand. Throughout his career Becroft has taken a specialist approach to dealing with youth and child offenders and been involved in many organisations and initiatives to support this. During his time as Children's Commissioner, Becroft developed strong public positions of monitoring and advocacy on a range of issues related to the safety of children.
The Oversight of the Oranga Tamariki System Act 2022 is a New Zealand Act of Parliament that establishes an Independent Monitor to provide oversight over the country's Oranga Tamariki system, which provides services and support to children, young people, and their families under the provisions of the Oranga Tamariki Act 1989. The Bill was formerly part of the proposed "Oversight of the Oranga Tamariki System and Children and Young People's Commission Bill" until it was split into two separate pieces of legislation by the New Zealand Parliament on 11 August 2022. Together, the Oranga Tamariki Oversight Act and the companion Children and Young People's Commission Act 2022 replaced the Office of the Children's Commissioner, the independent national Children's ombudsman.
The Children and Young People's Commission Act 2022 is a New Zealand Act of Parliament that establishes the Children and Young People's Commission and repeals the Children's Commissioner Act 2003. The Bill was formerly part of the proposed "Oversight of the Oranga Tamariki System and Children and Young People's Commission Bill" until it was split into two separate pieces of legislation by the New Zealand Parliament on 11 August 2022. Together, the bill and the companion Oversight of Oranga Tamariki System Act 2022 replaced the Office of the Children's Commissioner, the independent national Children's ombudsman.
Malachi Rain Subecz was a five-year old child who was violently abused and murdered by his caregiver Michaela Barriball in Te Puna, New Zealand in November 2021. Barriball pleaded guilty to ill-treating a child and murder and was sentenced to at least 17 years imprisonment. Barriball's sister Sharon was also convicted of concealing evidence and sentenced to six months home detention. Subecz's murder attracted media coverage in New Zealand and led to two highly critical reviews of Oranga Tamariki, the government department responsible for the well-being of children.
