Children Pay Price Of Oranga Tamariki Contracting Fiasco - Auditor-General Issues Damning Indictment Of Govt Cuts
The Auditor-General's report into Oranga Tamariki's provider contracts lays bare the reckless way the Government ordered cuts without regard to how children would be harmed.
In 2023 the Government ordered a 6.5% cut of Oranga Tamariki's overall funding, triggering a chaotic review of contracts with hundreds of community service providers - some even told their contracts would end with only days' notice last year.
"The report confirms what we have said all along - the Government has totally botched its rushed spending cuts with little regard to the consequences - children are the casualties of these decisions," said Fleur Fitzsimons, National Secretary for the Public Service Association Te Pūkenga Here Tikanga Mahi.
The report says 'its decisions were not adequately informed by evidence of how they would affect children and their families. The effects of decisions on children and their families are still not known. Given that this is the core role of Oranga Tamariki, it is unacceptable'.
"It's staggering that the Government can order an organisation that supports some of New Zealand's most vulnerable tamariki and rangatahi, and their whānau to make such bad decisions.
"Without doubt children will have been impacted as providers had to stop services or move children to other service providers at short notice - it's just not good enough when the welfare of children should be at the heart of these decisions.
"This all speaks to the cruel nature of the Government's decisions which put saving money to fund tax cuts ahead of supporting vulnerable children.
"The Government promised no impacts on frontline services - this report again exposes this lie as we have seen throughout the public service. There is nothing more frontline than protecting children.
"The PSA is still awaiting a response from the Auditor-General about whether he will investigate cuts at Health New Zealand which also impact frontline health services - this report means he should.
"The chickens are coming home to roost as we warned they would. Without doubt in the months and years ahead we will see more damage that the Government is inflicting on frontline services from these short-sighted cuts. More New Zealanders will pay the price - it's unacceptable."
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