A Ngāpuhi delegation arrived at Parliament today to rally against the 7AA repeal and to declare “no more mokopuna will be taken into state care”.
Nearly a third of those in state care, 827 children, are Ngāpuhi.
On Friday Ngāpuhi leaders walked out of the Iwi Chairs Forum hui when there were cabinet ministers and Prime Minister Christopher Luxon there.
Te Rūnanga ā Iwi o Ngāpuhi chair Mane Tahere said he refused to sit there any longer and listen to the government’s rhetoric.
The issues he had problems with included the disestablishment of Te Aka Whai Ora, the coming Treaty Principles Bill, the overturning of the seabed and foreshore judgment, and legislative changes to Māori wards and Oranga Tamariki.
On Saturday hundreds attended a hui in Kaikohe protesting the repeal of section 7AA, which outlined a series of obligations to improve outcomes for tamariki and rangatahi Māori under the Crown’s duty to uphold Te Tiriti o Waitangi.
Last week also saw the release of the Whanaketia report, the final report from the Royal Commission into Abuse in State Care. The report highlighted abuse, violence and neglect and the urgent need for an overhaul of the current system of state care.
Today the iwi went to Parliament to have a rally on Parliament grounds to raise awareness about the harm Ngāpuhi mokopuna have faced while in state care.
Following the rally Mane Tahere and Ngāpuhi Iwi Social Services’ chief executive Dr Moana Eruera will speak to the select committee to share the iwi opposition to the repeal.