The Waitangi Tribunal is a New Zealand permanent commission of inquiry established under the Treaty of Waitangi Act 1975. It is charged with investigating and making recommendations on claims brought by Māori relating to actions or omissions of the Crown, in the period largely since 1840, that breach the promises made in the Treaty of Waitangi. The Tribunal is not a court of law; therefore, the Tribunal's recommendations and findings are not binding on the Crown. They are sometimes not acted on, for instance in the foreshore and seabed dispute.
The Ministry of Social Development is the public service department of New Zealand charged with advising the New Zealand Government on social policy, and providing social services. MSD is the largest public service department, employing public servants in over 200 locations around New Zealand. MSD delivers its programmes and services through a number of business groups and agencies.
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.
Kelvin Glen Davis is a New Zealand politician. He is a member of the House of Representatives, and was a senior minister in the Sixth Labour Government and the deputy leader of the New Zealand Labour Party from 2017 to 2023.
The Office of the Children's Commissioner was an independent New Zealand Crown entity that was established under the Children's Commissioner Act 2003. Its role has been superseded by Mana Mokopuna - Children and Young People's Commission. OCC's main responsibilities were to protect the rights, health, welfare, and wellbeing of minors under the age of 18 years.
The Children's Commissioner Act 2003 is an Act of the New Zealand Parliament. It reformed the office of the Children's Commissioner as the Office of the Children's Commissioner (OCC) and implemented the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, which is attached as Schedule 2 of the Act. In August 2022, the Children's Commissioner Act was repealed by the Children and Young People's Commission Act 2022, which established the Children and Young People's Commission.
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 former politician. She was a member of the New Zealand House of Representatives between 2011 and 2020, representing the New Zealand First Party.
The youth justice system in New Zealand consists of organisations and processes that deal with offending by children aged 10–13 years and young people aged 14–16 years. These differ from general criminal processes, and are governed by different principles.
Oranga Tamariki (OT), 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 Historical Abuse in State Care and in the Care of Faith-based Institutions 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. The report and its final recommendations was publicly released on 24 July 2024, five-and-a-half-years after its terms of reference were first released.
Mariameno Kapa-Kingi is a New Zealand politician who was elected to the New Zealand parliament at the 2023 general election as the MP for Te Tai Tokerau representing Te Pāti Māori. After several decades in iwi social and health services, she first stood for parliament in the 2020 general election. Her electoral success in 2023 led to the retirement of her predecessor, Kelvin Davis, who had been Labour Party deputy leader since 2017.
Karen Louise Chhour is a New Zealand politician. She has been a member of parliament for ACT New Zealand since the 2020 general election.
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 Children's 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.
Te Hiringa Mahara, formerly known as the Mental Health and Wellbeing Commission, is a New Zealand independent Crown entity that opened on 9 February 2021 which focuses on promoting mental health and wellbeing as well as providing leadership to the sector. It was established by the Sixth Labour Government with the passage of the Mental Health and Wellbeing Commission Act 2020.
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.
The Independent Children's Monitor is a departmental agency within New Zealand's Education Review Office. It was established by the New Zealand Government in 2019 to ensure organisations working with children, young people, and their families were complying with the National Care Standards. On 1 May 2023, its role was expanded to include oversight over the entire Oranga Tamariki system. As of 2023, Arran Jones was the Chief Executive of the Independent Children's Monitor while Nova Banaghan served as the Chief Monitor.
