Summarised by Centrist
The Court of Appeal has overturned a High Court decision that set aside a summons to Children’s Minister Karen Chhour to appear before the Waitangi Tribunal.
The Tribunal had issued the summons for Chhour to give evidence and answer questions about the Government’s decision to repeal section 7AA of the Oranga Tamariki Act.
The High Court had ruled that Chhour could not be compelled to appear, but the Court of Appeal has now overruled that decision. The Tribunal’s inquiry found that the proposed repeal would harm vulnerable children and breach Treaty principles.
Labour has criticised the repeal bill, calling it “callous,” while ACT has accused the Tribunal of overstepping its authority and becoming too activist.
Editor’s note: Oranga Tamariki may be neglecting the safety of children, as evidenced by intentional injury rates, which rose 45% to almost 1,300 acts from 2022 to 2023.
Data from Health New Zealand appears to confirm it is disproportionately Māori children being hospitalised due to domestic violence.
Are higher rates of intentional injury due to a cultural emphasis on keeping children with their whanau as is the practice encouraged by section 7AA?
