In a leaked ministerial document, Children’s Minister Karen Chhour admits the risks of allowing military-style boot camps to use force against children, while politicians from other parties remain divided on the legislation.
Green Party MP Tamatha Paul obtained the document, calling it “extremely vague” and “deeply concerning”.
“It’s giving third-party providers to use force against our rangatahi to be able to restrain them and bring them back.
Paul argued that putting children in cells wasn’t the solution, emphasising the need to encourage young people to turn their lives around and to offer them hope.
“Something that can give them hope to show that their life has more meaning than sitting away and rotting in a jail cell for the rest of their lives.”
The document states providers including Oranga Tamariki will also have a limited authority to use physical force to prevent the young person from absconding.
They will have the authority to detain and to use physical force during the time that young person is based in the residential setting, including when they are on overnight stays or other activities outside of the residential setting.
However, elements of the military-style academy order may be viewed as increasing the potential risk of abuse in custody, particularly in light of historic abuse experienced by children and young people in similar programmes, reported in the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in Care report.
Christopher Luxon told Newstalk ZB, “It’s not something I’ve been briefed on, it’s not something I’m aware of, it’s not something I should be involved in.”
Just hours later, he shifted his position, telling reporters he had not had an “explicit conversation” with Children’s Minister Karen Chhour.
“I know it was referenced in a cabinet paper, I get that, but what I’m saying is, I didn’t have an exact conversation with her about how restraint is actually used operationally.”
Children’s Minister Karen Chhour is sticking by the legislation despite not being consulted on the document prepared by Oranga Tamariki.
“They’ll have to be a certain provider with certain statutory obligations and some of them are already meeting them statutory obligations and the training will be provided.”
A strict process would be undergone to run these academies in the future, Chhour said.
Rawiri Waititi has strongly opposed the legislation, calling it “unacceptable and disgusting.”
He criticised the approach, saying, “It’s okay for the state to do it and then take kids away from parents who might be doing the same thing, if they want to run away. And so, you know, we just gotta say what is acceptable here in society.”
Act’s David Seymour, on the other hand, is backing Chhour, arguing that people often forget these children are there for serious crimes.
“These are not kids who got there for stealing a lollipop. These are often kids that have done ram raids, aggravated robberies, assaults and worse.”
Speaking to reporters, Hipkins questioned whether the government was conducting proper checks, expressing concern that it was “alarming” Luxon had not been made aware of the legislation.
“Any concern that the government seemed to be broadening the scope for the use of force against young people without fully understanding what it is that they’re doing.
“Without actually putting appropriate checks and balances in place to ensure that it doesn’t lead to further abuse of young people who are in state care.”
