Waipareira CEO John Tamihere and OT CEO Chappie Te Kani sign the deal. Photo / Supplied
Te Whānau o Waipareira CEO John Tamihere says the contract he signed with Oranga Tamariki Friday is not only groundbreaking but has been 40 years in the making.
The west Auckland Māori Urban Authority executive and Oranga Tamariki (OT) CE Chappie Te Kani - in front of OT Minister Kelvin Davis and Māori Development Minister Willie Jackson - formalised a Partnership and Outcomes Agreement at Hoani Waititi Marae.
"I cannot believe it has taken over 40 years, and while we have a long, long way to go, it is a start, and we'll take that as a win," Tamihere said.
"Non-Māori provision has failed us and those failed agencies must be closed.
"Our right to fix our own problems has dawned."
The partnership will see improved levels of care for whānau with their tamariki engaged in the wraparound services that Waipareira already provides. Tamihere says Waipareira is a partner, not a contractor.
"This agreement finally addresses areas of care that can be devolved back to relevant agencies and can facilitate a more targeted perspective within our own communities," he said.
"Connecting our babies and whānau to their whakapapa. Treating them as magic people."
The change is immediate, as Waipareira residential care processes will be trialled in partnership with Manurewa marae and the wider Tāmaki collective.
"We will start our own tikanga-based approach re-integrating whānau into positive Māori whakapapa," said Tamihere.
Tamihere hopes this will reduce the harm that tamariki Māori have long suffered in state care, with a view to improve services that are tailor-made for whānau with positive, long-term results.
"Māori children were uplifted, which produced negative results, giving our babies physical and mental scars, permanently.
"At every step of the way we were blocked from having a go and creating safe spaces for our children, for our whānau.
"It is not okay, it has never been and we can finally see a small light at the end of a very long and very dark tunnel."
OT Minister Davis said it was a great day for Māori and the Government.
"This is a momentous occasion. I would like to acknowledge Chappie Te Kani, to my understanding Chappie is the first Māori CE of an agency other than TPK. We're starting to see Māori leading our Government agencies and ministries and it's fantastic. Chappie is doing a fabulous job," Davis said.
"We have made a difference with Oranga Tamariki. People said to burn the place down and that's a lovely soundbite but soundbites don't keep kids safe. Because if you burn the place down, then what?
"What's going to replace it? Everything takes a while to transition. The bit that is important to me is we have to evolve decision-masking back to communities, our Māori communities because they know how to look after our children better than the Government.
"This is a momentous occasion."
