Latest news with #ManaMokopuna
Scoop
22-05-2025
- Politics
- Scoop
Children And Families In Poverty Let Down By Today's Budget
Press Release – Mana Mokopuna Looking at Budget 2025, I dont see the investment thats needed to significantly reduce, and ultimately pave the way to ending child poverty,' says Chief Childrens Commissioner Dr Claire Achmad. Budget 2025 doesn't address the urgent needs of many of our country's children and young people facing the greatest disadvantage, says Chief Children's Commissioner Dr Claire Achmad. 'Budget decisions have a direct and significant impact on our country's 1.2 million mokopuna – nearly quarter of our population – and on their families and whānau. The decisions made in the Budget are an opportunity to ensure children and young people facing disadvantage are invested in, so they can flourish. 'Looking at Budget 2025, I don't see the investment that's needed to significantly reduce, and ultimately pave the way to ending child poverty. For example, how will this Budget significantly help the 156,000 children in our communities who are living in material hardship? 'Today, I repeat my call that is becoming increasingly urgent: the Government must make ending child poverty a project of national significance, working across the Parliament, so real, meaningful change in children's lives is supported and sustained, now and into the future. Today's Budget is a missed opportunity for the Government to show that bold leadership, so that children today don't grow up in poverty, meaning better lives both today and tomorrow. 'The reality is that right now, we are continuing to let children down on the most basic things: having enough healthy food, safe and healthy housing, and their physical and mental health. For mokopuna Māori, as well as mokopuna whaikaha and Pacific mokopuna, the impacts of things like food insecurity are even more extreme. From a children's rights perspective, Budget 2025 does not play the part it needed to, so that all children in our country are growing up thriving with an adequate standard of living. This is basic stuff that we can't afford to keep letting children and families down on.' The Chief Children's Commissioner notes that the Government's social investment fund does provide opportunities to invest in children, young people and families especially those in the most complex circumstances. 'I welcome the focus on mokopuna and families in the social investment three pilots that have been announced. I'm keen to understand how these pilots will be evaluated, so their impact will be well understood. Alongside this, I emphasise the urgency of the need for real, practical action and investment now across the three priority areas outlined in the Government's own Child and Youth Strategy: support for children and families in the first 2000 days of children's lives, reducing material hardship affecting children, and preventing harm. 'I acknowledge the crucial role that education plays in children and young people's lives, so I am pleased to see that the Budget places a significant focus on education. My team and I will be taking some time to dig into the detail of the Budget's education initiatives, especially relating to learning support. I also want to understand more detail about the changes to the Jobseeker Benefit, in particular about how this might impact on children and young people who have been in or who are in State care and/or custody. 'As their independent advocate, I hear directly from children and young people about what matters most in their world,' says Dr Achmad. 'They want to have their basic needs met – to have a warm, safe, dry home to grow up in, and enough food for their family. Young people want to be involved in decision-making about their own future. As one mokopuna told me recently: 'We, too, are concerned about what goes on in our world, especially our country. What happens now WILL affect our future.'
Scoop
22-05-2025
- Politics
- Scoop
Children And Families In Poverty Let Down By Today's Budget
Press Release – Mana Mokopuna Looking at Budget 2025, I dont see the investment thats needed to significantly reduce, and ultimately pave the way to ending child poverty,' says Chief Childrens Commissioner Dr Claire Achmad. Budget 2025 doesn't address the urgent needs of many of our country's children and young people facing the greatest disadvantage, says Chief Children's Commissioner Dr Claire Achmad. 'Budget decisions have a direct and significant impact on our country's 1.2 million mokopuna – nearly quarter of our population – and on their families and whānau. The decisions made in the Budget are an opportunity to ensure children and young people facing disadvantage are invested in, so they can flourish. 'Looking at Budget 2025, I don't see the investment that's needed to significantly reduce, and ultimately pave the way to ending child poverty. For example, how will this Budget significantly help the 156,000 children in our communities who are living in material hardship? 'Today, I repeat my call that is becoming increasingly urgent: the Government must make ending child poverty a project of national significance, working across the Parliament, so real, meaningful change in children's lives is supported and sustained, now and into the future. Today's Budget is a missed opportunity for the Government to show that bold leadership, so that children today don't grow up in poverty, meaning better lives both today and tomorrow. 'The reality is that right now, we are continuing to let children down on the most basic things: having enough healthy food, safe and healthy housing, and their physical and mental health. For mokopuna Māori, as well as mokopuna whaikaha and Pacific mokopuna, the impacts of things like food insecurity are even more extreme. From a children's rights perspective, Budget 2025 does not play the part it needed to, so that all children in our country are growing up thriving with an adequate standard of living. This is basic stuff that we can't afford to keep letting children and families down on.' The Chief Children's Commissioner notes that the Government's social investment fund does provide opportunities to invest in children, young people and families especially those in the most complex circumstances. 'I welcome the focus on mokopuna and families in the social investment three pilots that have been announced. I'm keen to understand how these pilots will be evaluated, so their impact will be well understood. Alongside this, I emphasise the urgency of the need for real, practical action and investment now across the three priority areas outlined in the Government's own Child and Youth Strategy: support for children and families in the first 2000 days of children's lives, reducing material hardship affecting children, and preventing harm. 'I acknowledge the crucial role that education plays in children and young people's lives, so I am pleased to see that the Budget places a significant focus on education. My team and I will be taking some time to dig into the detail of the Budget's education initiatives, especially relating to learning support. I also want to understand more detail about the changes to the Jobseeker Benefit, in particular about how this might impact on children and young people who have been in or who are in State care and/or custody. 'As their independent advocate, I hear directly from children and young people about what matters most in their world,' says Dr Achmad. 'They want to have their basic needs met – to have a warm, safe, dry home to grow up in, and enough food for their family. Young people want to be involved in decision-making about their own future. As one mokopuna told me recently: 'We, too, are concerned about what goes on in our world, especially our country. What happens now WILL affect our future.'
Scoop
15-05-2025
- Politics
- Scoop
Chief Children's Commissioner Says Oranga Tamariki Must Action Auditor-General's Recommendations On Contract Management
Press Release – Mana Mokopuna It is vital that Oranga Tamariki actions the Auditor-Generals recommendations, to ensure that the rights and wellbeing of children, young people and their families are front and centre of funding decisions that affect them. Today's report from the Auditor-General on Oranga Tamariki procurement and contract management is being welcomed by Chief Children's Commissioner Dr Claire Achmad. 'Last year, I was very clear about my concerns as to how Oranga Tamariki was making and communicating its decisions about contracted services for children, young people and their whānau. 'As the independent advocate for all children in Aotearoa New Zealand, I was very concerned that I did not see adequate evidence that children and young people, and their needs and rights, had been at the centre of the decisions being made about contract changes. 'I heard directly from iwi and communities that these funding changes were causing significant uncertainty, stress and harming their relationship with Oranga Tamariki. The Auditor-General's report today shows that my concerns, and those of others, were well-founded,' says Dr Achmad. 'Some of the contracts that were reduced or closed by Oranga Tamariki were in the important area of early intervention and prevention of harm, such as support for new families, Youth One Stop Shops (YOSSs), mentoring for young people and counselling for children and families. 'In particular, I wanted to understand what evidence had informed these decisions, and what transition plans were in place for children, young people and whānau affected by changes and reductions to services. I note in particular the Auditor-General's finding that his Office's inquiry did not find evidence that Oranga Tamariki understood how its decisions would affect children and their families, before those decisions were made. 'Oranga Tamariki is our Ministry for Children – its core role is to support the wellbeing of children and young people in Aotearoa New Zealand. Therefore, its decision-making must be informed by detailed analysis of the likely effect on children and young people. I am pleased to see that is one of the key recommendations made by the Auditor-General. 'Together with my oversight of oranga tamariki system colleagues, I'll be watching closely to ensure that Oranga Tamariki implements all of the recommendations in the Auditor-General's report, including establishing clear and standard processes for contracting services, and properly considering how funding changes will impact children and young people's lives. I'm pleased to know that the Chief Executive has said that Oranga Tamariki has accepted all the Auditor-General's recommendations, and I have discussed this with him today. 'It is vital that Oranga Tamariki actions the Auditor-General's recommendations, to ensure that the rights and wellbeing of children, young people and their families are front and centre of funding decisions that affect them. The relationships Oranga Tamariki holds with its partners are crucial to this, and must be continue to be strengthened.'
Scoop
14-05-2025
- Health
- Scoop
New Zealand Ranked 32nd Out Of 36 Countries For Child Wellbeing Is Unacceptable
Press Release – Mana Mokopuna The report card shows New Zealand has the highest suicide rate for children out of the worlds wealthy countries, at a rate of almost three times higher than the average. A new international report card comparing childhood experiences in wealthy countries shows the need for urgent progress in Aotearoa New Zealand, says Chief Children's Commissioner Dr Claire Achmad. Published today, the latest UNICEF Innocenti 'Report Card 19: Fragile Gains – Child Wellbeing at Risk in an Unpredictable World' ranks New Zealand in 32nd place out of 36 countries for overall child wellbeing. It ranks New Zealand last – in 36th place of the world's wealthy countries – for child and youth mental health. The report card shows New Zealand has the highest suicide rate for children out of the world's wealthy countries, at a rate of almost three times higher than the average*. It also shows again that New Zealand's children face a major problem when it comes to bullying, with the second highest rate of children experiencing bullying, out of the countries included. Dr Achmad says these rankings, published just a week before Budget Day, show that meaningful investment in children and young people is urgently needed to support child and youth mental health, including suicide prevention measures, and to better support the prevention of bullying in schools and communities. 'I've been clear that we need to see a central focus on children in Budget 2025,' she says. 'This is necessary to deliver on the Government's own Child and Youth Strategy to 'make New Zealand the best place in the world to be a child.' 'It's devastating that among other high-income countries, we reported the highest youth suicide rate. We also know that attempted suicide rates for rangatahi Māori, Rainbow children and young people and disabled children are higher. 'This is absolutely unacceptable and we need to focus on making our country one where all children and young people are included, safe and where their diversity is respected and valued. I call on the Minister for Mental Health, and all ministers, to pay close attention to these findings and progress implementation of recommendations that already exist under reports such as the cross-party 'Under One Umbrella' and the Auditor-General's 'Meeting the mental health needs of young New Zealanders' reports. 'I'm also calling on the Government to collect and publish good-quality, disaggregated and timely data relating to child mortality. 'Significantly reducing childhood poverty must be a core investment area for the Government, given the ripple effects it has on children's lives. The data in the Government's own recent Annual Report on Children and Young People's wellbeing shows that we are going backwards when it comes to providing enough safe housing, healthy food and primary health and dental care. 'I want to see all children in our country flourish to their full potential. As this international comparison shows, we can and must do much, much better for children. These are their basic rights that we are talking about, and as a small, relatively rich country, it shouldn't be like this.' 'The solutions to the problems highlighted in this report card have already been identified by children and young people themselves, and are well documented in our mokopuna voices reports such as such as 'A place to talk peacefully' and 'You need to get in early, as soon as you see people struggling'. 'These solutions must now be actioned because children only get one chance at childhood, and right now for too many in New Zealand, it's far from the best in the world.' * UNICEF Innocenti used the most recent reliable data from each country, with 3-year averages to smooth fluctuations. The most recent reliable suicide data from New Zealand was from 2020. Therefore, the New Zealand youth suicide data in the report card relates to 2018 – 2020. The Ministry of Health has stated that unpublished data on suspected suicides indicates that rates are falling. However, New Zealand's youth suicide rate is still a notable outlier among the group of countries in this report card, which is consistent with other sources like the New Zealand Youth Health Survey.
Scoop
05-05-2025
- Politics
- Scoop
The Power Of The Voice Of Youth: Stories That Connect Us With A Vision Of The Future
Press Release – Race Unity Speech Awards MC Dr Claire Achmad, Chief Childrens Commissioner, Mana Mokopuna, said the awards presented to our amazing wahine toa rangatahi speakers recognise and celebrate excellence, drawing attention to the speeches that have the greatest chance of swaying hearts … Jordyn Joy Pillay from Ormiston Senior College in Auckland has been named the National Champion of the Race Unity Speech Awards for 2025. Held at Ngā Kete Wānanga Marae in Otara Auckland, the Year 12 student also received the Tohu Whetumatarau – Ministry for Ethnic Communities Award for Vision. Jordyn said she was thrilled to receive the awards. 'Being named as the National Champion is a huge honour and this has been the biggest achievement in my life – it truly has topped everything I've done so far. 'My vision through writing and presenting my speech, was to offer tangible and real solutions to what we can do right now to make a difference. For example, I propose a culturally inclusive curriculum, where every lesson weaves in different cultures and histories. Diversity must be more than a moment – it must be a movement. Be the change you want to see.' Police Deputy Commissioner Jill Rogers, the chief judge of the awards, stressed the importance of providing a platform for rangatahi to discuss and share their thoughts on important societal issues. 'I am astonished by the quality of the speeches from our young people over the weekend,' she says. 'As Police, we are proud to be supporting a platform for our young people to voice their aspirations and solutions.' All speeches provoked and challenged the audience as well as offering solutions and ideas to consider – not to be silent, to stand up and speak out; to show hospitality and kindness; giving students the chance to walk in someone else's shoes through a Virtual Reality initiative – to cross bridges rather than build walls. MC Dr Claire Achmad, Chief Children's Commissioner, Mana Mokopuna, said the awards presented to our amazing wahine toa rangatahi speakers recognise and celebrate excellence, drawing attention to the speeches that have the greatest chance of swaying hearts and minds towards race unity. 'The reality is that we all need to be in one waka – he waka eke noa – and our speakers have shown us that we all need to play our part.' All finalists received a special award recognising speeches for specific types of excellence. Estella Hepburn-Van Zyl, a Year 12 student from Gisborne GIrls' High School received the Tohu Māramatanga Baha'i Community award for Insight. 'You reminded us that we can't just wait for racism to happen and then say, hey we don't tolerate this. That's not enough. You reminded us that we actually have to stop racism before it happens – and you challenged us. To change the future, nurture the youth.' – Nick Moss – Member of the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahai's NZ. Tanyn Wood, a Year 13 student from Mt Aspiring College in Wānaka received the Tohu Manaakitanga – the Manukau Institute of Technology Award for Manaakitanga. 'I was struck by one korero, who encouraged us to think of Aotearoa as not just a collection of people, but a collection of stories. A collection of rich, expansive and compelling stories if only we took the time to get to know them.' Professor Martin Carroll – Manukau Institute of Technology Maia Moss, a Year 12 student from MANUKURA School in Palmerston North who delivered her speech in te Reo Māori recieved the Tohu Manukura i te Reo – Māori Language Commission Award for te Reo Māori and the Tohu Eke Panuku – Human Rights Commission Award for Impact. ' How gallant and brave to bring te Reo into spaces that aren't historically made for Māori. This speech gave such a fantastic example of how korero tipuna and contemporary korero can be woven together to create such a strong remedy for some of the issues that we're facing today.' – Rangiora Trotman – Pou Arataki – Te Hiringa, Te Taura Whiri I te Reo Māori. Zara Oliyath, a Year 12 Student from Diocesan School for Girls, Auckland received the Tohu Ahurea Rau – Multicultural NZ Award for Diversity as well as the Tohu Auahatanga – Speech NZ Award for Delivery. ' The final part of speech making is that part of delivery – to bring home the message. Throughout their speech Zara used different styles of speaking within the talk and that just lifted the whole delivery. She used wonderful techniques, and used extra effective use of pause, with a lovely variety of pace.' Stephanie Caisley – Speech NZ Maya Blackman, a Year 13 student from Western Heights High School in Rotorua received the Tohu Aumangea – Hedi Moani Memorial Award for Advocacy. 'Diversity is not something that can be ignored. If flows from the history of our country through to the present day. How will we embrace the idea of diversity? Acceptance is only the beginning; from there, you must broaden your knowledge and look below the surface. ' – Maya Blackman – Western Heights High School, Rotorua Nick Moss, a member of the National Spiritual Assembly of the Baha'is of New Zealand, said the quality of the speeches was extraordinary with each student bringing their own angle to the theme of Te Moana Nui O Te Kanorau – The Great Ocean of Diversity. 'All the speeches aligned with the values we share – the unity of humankind. Each participant brought insights in their own way, and we heard clearly and effectively the important role that youth play in helping us reach our true potential.'
