Kiyoda.
I'm Chelsea Daniels and this is the Front Page, a daily podcast presented by the New Zealand Herald. Since entering Parliament ten years ago, Madama Davidson has become a co leader, been appointed a minister, and has helped the Greens reach
its largest ever caucus. She's always been a staunch advocate for children, so it comes as no surprise that last week the Green Party launched an open letter calling on the Minister for Children to adopt seven promises to children in state care so no more tamariki fall into harm.
One of those promises is to.
Make it a requirement that ranga tamariki give raga tahi leaving care the support they need to find suitable accommodation. Later, we'll speak to nineteen year old ihurrangiit Peters about his experience in the care system and the challenges he faced. But first on the Front Page, Matima Davidson joins us to discuss what more we need to do to make sure every child growing up in this country has a fighting chance.
Madam.
When it comes to the seven promises to children in state care?
Why call for this now?
The government? The system has been failing Tamidikei for so long, and we heard about that, right We've heard about that from survivors, from people who have had generational, bad, harmful impacts. This is the least we can do is call for more accountability to make sure that the government, any governments, are prioritizing the well being of tamidiki, the wellbeing of young people and care and the well being of young
people coming out of care. So this is the Greens wanting to put forward a way that ensure that our system is one that actually does look after and center and prioritize the well being of tamidiki.
Is ordering a tamidiki not doing that at the moment.
Do you think, Oh, we have seen from the Royal Commission of Inquiry into State Care that this has long been a system failing tamidiki. But unfortunately we are still hearing today right now from survivors, from people, from advocates that it's still failing timidiki. And so we all owe it as a country. I know that people care about this. We all owe it to ensure first and foremost well
being Tamidikei. Our funding, our political laws, our decisions. We should be choosing to do everything we can to put their livelihoods first, to make sure far no can support and care for their tamidiki and make sure that tamidiki in state care are also provided for as well as when they come out of state care.
It is pretty disappointing to see that, even after the Abuse and Care Royal Commission of Inquiry, that some of these experiences are still happening to tamidiki and rungtaihi in care. What do we do?
We need big system change for us start Why don't we pick up the recommendations from the report from that big years and years of work with expertise, receiving and hearing from directly from survivors sometimes generations of survivors in families where you know, they also heard from people today from frontline community organizations also, So we need to make sure that we're picking up the recommendations. How about that
for a starting point. They did so much work. They looked at the research, the evidence, they heard from expertise about exactly how systems can properly care. They came up with ways, step by step of what we can improve in the law and the policy and the practice. How about for a starting point, we pick up those recommendations.
What stood out for me in the seven promises is this one number three. Every child must be supported every step of their journey. Now, I know that you have a bill in this sitting at the moment in regards to actually requiring Auong TAMARII to make sure that a person leaving care has suitable accommodation. When I read that, I find it amazing that it is not already a requirement.
Right you would think that the least we can do for these children who have been in the system and are coming out of gear young children, that the least we can do is provide them with that really basic support for the rest of their lives to be able to flourish. What we are seeing, however, and hearing right now, is that young people, even with advocates and support workers, are being told at every stop, sorry, we cannot help you. There is no emergency housing, there is no way of
ensuring that you've adequate income. At the same time, we are seeing this government drive funding cuts to the very frontline community organizations who would try and step in and fill in that gap.
Well, who are picking up the slab that's.
It picking up the sack. Just weeks ago, I was in Autuda one of the most well established respected local community hubs or Tuda Youth Hub, who have had their funding removed. They were picking up the slack in a big, real way. So we are seeing the community providers in care having their funding cut. But at the same time government departments have had the political decisions from this current government say I'm sorry, we are not going to offer
emergency housing support anymore. I'm sorry the young people going to have to be turned away, young people left offend for themselves, and they literally are doing that on the streets and whatever ways they can. So you know that has to stop.
Yeah, and the leaving care process.
You know, I'm privileged enough not to have had to know anything about more actually researching speaking same day, but the process on transitioning out of care starts at fifteen years old. Those are some pretty big conversations and decisions to be placed on behalf of a fifteen sixteen year old.
I too, am privileged not to have had to be in the care system to have been provided with the care that I require. But if we put these barriers right at that early stage of not supporting young people with housing, with support that is going to set them up, they are more likely to have challenged for the rest of their lives. One of the best things we can do, which is what my bill is about, is requiring in legislation that no young person is to leave care without
appropriate housing and the support that they need. I don't know how come we have to have a law for this. I would have thought this is something we all agree to as a community, as a country, but it's not happening, and so it's about making the government accountable.
How do shambolic cuts to service providers, poor communication with providers about their contracts, and no assurance about transitioning children and family to alternative services fit with her stated commitment to that child safety is her priority.
Missus Beaker, I actually refused to stand here and be lectured by a member of that previous government who made absolutely no progress when it came to the safety of the well being of our young people. The state of ung A Tamodiki when I took over was absolutely disgusting and I'm not going to allow that to continue.
I saw some figures from RAS and said that revealed that in the first five months of this year ninety nine children in or Angatamariki Kre have stayed in motels.
In what world.
Is this okay?
In a world where consecutive and successive governments have depleted providing housing as a public good and a human right, which is what has happened. I am proud that we were part of the last government with labor where for the first time since the nineteen seventies we were building back our public and community housing supply in a rate
that hasn't been seen since the seventies. Good. But this government has come in and removed that agenda to ensure that there is public housing, we would, for a starting point, as the Greens build thirty five thousand more public homes in five years, to basically remove everyone from the waiting list from the public housing waiting list. That in itself, that's why we have children having to be raised in
motels and emergency accommodation, which none of us want. None of us want that it ended up being a stopgap measure because we have stopped providing public housing as a country and I just can I take us back for a little sec This was something that the New Zealand society, I suppose has been really proud of since way back in the early sort of from nineteen fifties at least, where we decided as a government a duty of care would ensure that there is housing for everyone, that it
is affordable in quality, and that is the proud tradition I suppose of New Zealand's history of state housing that you know we got into I guess through the sort of the eighties particularly, we started on this real denigration of providing that public good, of that responsibility. We started selling off state housing. Children living in it tells today is a direct consequence of that, and it is shameful.
It is shameful that as a country we have what we need to make sure that no children go without a home, go without kai, go without support, but this government is choosing not to make the decision to do that.
I know that you've been in Parliament for ten years this year, yes, and in November. Actually you're made in speech twenty fifteen you said, in my community, people are living in homes so filled with mold that it is making kids sick. In my community, people are working two or more jobs and are still struggling to pay for the food and that their children need families are literally struggling to survive.
And that was ten years ago. Has anything changed?
Sadly, we are seeing government right now denying people in adequate income, in effect, cutting minimum wages, in effect. Housing costs are higher, rental costs are higher, wages are lower, and especially for those on the lowest income. So I was proud that there was a welfare working group say a report again, lots of work experts and people at the frontline bringing their stories to the table to be able to show actually the income support provided by government
is well below the poverty line. How on earth are people supposed to get ahead at all? And you had you had the likes of a former New Zealand Business Roundtable chair president leader, shall we say, after hearing all the submissions and this is this is the point I want to be really clear about here. After hearing the submissions of people trying to do their best with what little they had, really trying to do their best, but
just so clearly inadequate incomes. And you had the New Zealand former Business chair as part of that committee hearing these submissions saying straight up is this not enough? That's not enough income. We're not going to end poverty with this inadequate level of income. So I'm really sad that governments have chosen to keep people Farno and Tamidiki in poverty. I'm really proud that the Greens have provided an alternative for people to see, actually, we don't have to be
like this. There is a better way. We've got enough in this beautiful country of ours that people care about each other, in this beautiful country of ours. We can end poverty. We can do it right now.
I know that there was obviously the Child Poverty Reduction Act and acted in twenty eighteen. Do you think that that has actually done anything to alleviate child poverty in this country? Because I know that there's a report every year. The latest one, for example, it's called the Child and Youth Strategy, et cetera, et cetera, was released in April and it's required under the ass Pretty grim reading. Still, we've got experiences of abuse and neglect for children continuing to be high.
Material hardship is trending upwards.
More kids are in families on the benefit, Avoidable hospitalizations are worse, Educational achievement is worse. I mean, is there any point of that legislation or do you think it was a bit of a box taking exercise.
Yeah, I can see why people would understandably think that, right when the government is doing the bare minimum and not achieving those targets. The purpose of the legislation is good. It is to try and keep governments accountable. So we do need to try and have measures, legislation policies to keep government accountable. Perhaps without the legislation we wouldn't be
able to see those areas of failure. But the legislation on its own, it's never going to fix up those mistakes, those failuresslutely, So we have to pull in also, which is what I'm really proud about. The Green Party are pulling in a focus to that legislation that would also require the government to pick up the recommendations from the Royal Commission inquiry and to state abuse for example, so
on its own. Yeah, and when the government is failing to achieve targets that I'll just say for the Green Party weren't even as ambitious as we would have liked, but still targets. Nonetheless, when governments are doing the bare minimum and not achieving them, I totally get how it could seem like a waste of time, but it's why we also have to bring in that extra accountability, like picking up the recommendations from the review, for example.
It is quite and it's not the first Royal Commission of Inquiry that I've seen, or recommendations made from any kind of inquiry that there isn't actually requirement to pick up all of the recommendations of.
This very expensive, very long exercise.
I mean, why is that and a very event very long exercise, a really grounded exercise. I just want to make clear for your listeners that that exercise it had again, it had survivors first and foremost their expertise. They are the biggest specialists in expertise that we could hope for. But it had research, It had organizations grounded and doing
this work for decades. So you would think that the least we can do, all together, all MPs across the House, is give any government a mandate, come on, pick these up. They're not just going to benefit survivors, They're going to benefit our entire community. They're going to transform the accountability of government to properly center well being, to properly center healing responses for people who have been harmed by the states system. So you would think this is where I think,
I plead to the people. Where does the mandate and the accountability rarely come from. It comes from the people. And you have that to your listeners. You have that power with your vote, with your submissions. We know that if more people were to realize the power that they have in their very own hands, that they could actually ensure that governments pick up and make the changes that are required to nurture out amidiki.
I write Chloe Strawbrick to withdraw and apologize for an offensive comment made in the House yesterday.
I won't be doing that, missus, Speaker, and the member will leave the house. The eyes are sixty eight, the fifty four, the nose of fifty four.
The motion is agreed, the member will leave the House.
And lastly, while I was doing my research as well, I read your made in speech.
Obviously, oh my gosh, please.
Hell, but I also saw that you were kicked out of the House after ignoring a warning from the speaker not to make a point of order shortly after you became an MP. And that was after John Key accused Labor of backing rapists and opposition MP's obviously staged a walk out, and I thought that was probably a good thing to bring up at the moment, because when asked about that at the time, you said, there are a million rules and the only one I know is the one that I broke.
And you have to be looking at Chloe.
Right now with some admiration, right like a little renegade after your own heart.
Absolutely, we as a whole caucus stand fully beside Chloe because the point is, there is genocide in Gaza. This government needs to do everything it can to recognize the independent statehood of Palestine. It's not doing that. We stand by asking politicians to find their backbone to make sure that we as a country are joining hello every other blooming country and actually demanding that this genocide stop. The Machoponna and Gaza deserve for all of us politicians to
have a backbone. The reporters, reporters like yourself that have been killed over two hundred deserve for us as politicians to have a backbone to call for an end to genocide.
And similarly, I think on record from memory, I think I have the record for being kicked out of the house in record time shortly like within I think five days of becoming an MP, even going into the house and again it was to be really clear that the no Prime Minisoona was John Ki at the time, has a right to throw rape onto the table as a political tool, and we in the house women stood up to make a point of order to ask him to apologize, including some of us as survivors of sexual violence, to
ask him to apologize for throwing rape across the table as a political tool to be used against us. We knew that when the speaker was calling for the point of order, he said, no more points of order or you'll be ours to leave, and I was the first one to be as to leave. He'd lost his he'd lost his patience by then. I'm proud of making that stand. I'm proud of Chloe making the stand on behalf of all of us who have a backbone to call for
an enter genocide. Thanks for joining us, Manama, Thank you, Kelda Chelsea.
Ihur Angirawiti.
Peters entered into the state care system at just seven months old. At the age of sixteen, he spoke about his experiences at the Abuse and Care Royal Commission of Inquiry, where he chronicled abuse at the hands of his caregivers and the struggles of navigating a broken system. By that time, had been in seven placements in just six years. Now we check in with Ihrangi about what life's been like since then and what the process of leaving.
Ot is actually like.
So, I Rangy, you spoke about your experiences in care at just sixteen years old. How has the transition out of state care been for you?
In some aspects of transition out of what Atimika has been positive, but also it has been really hard to be able to find the right support for me to be able to be on a journey of healing.
And what kind of support would that be?
Mental health support, access to finances, being able to be supported, to be able to live independently and away from what atimdyke.
I saw on the aud Automatik website that there's a section that basically explains how the agency prepares that arang a tahi for leaving care. Now that process is meant to begin at the age of fifteen, and it includes discussions about their transition but also encouragement to express views, et cetera.
I mean, did you experience any of this.
I had a family group conference or a transitions to adulthood family group conferences what Ungotimityke likes to call it, But to be honest, it wasn't. It wasn't what the Act states that it should be. It was more of an opportunity for wading Timidi Key to talk about what they are doing positively in my life. But at that point in my life, what antimoda Ke was not working
to the best of its ability. And to this point, I still agree with many voices saying that what angutomata Ki needs to be dismantled and that the provisions of Kia need to come back to Farno Hapu and Ewe. I meant still has a lot of work to do. And back to your question, I was not prepared well to leave Kia. If I was prepared well to leave Kia, I would have been supported to find alternative accommodation. I would have been provided with financial advisors to be able
to make better financial decisions. They would have supported me to get into the workforce. And saying that though I am in the workforce, but also that took a lot of my own work to be able to be better equipped to help our most vulnerable Tamada, Krangtahi and Faro involved WITHDKI.
Yeah, I mean I did say that there's also for Raga Tahi Marii. It's important to maintain and strengthen their fucker papa links to Farno.
How was your experience with that?
Well, Order Intimatake says that they have strengthened my connections to my fucker pappa, But no, they haven't. It was all of the work that I did to reconnect with my far No and my fucker Pappa. Like, come on, what antomatic, Let's do better for our most vulnerable. These are young people who have experienced abuse trauma from early
years of life. And with the removal of Section seven double A from the Order Automatic Act, which is the NeSSI Grissi section that allows angitai in Tamataki to be provided with connections to fucker Papa, far No, Hapou and Ewe, now our intamataki transitioning out of gear will not have that crucial support to reconnect with their fucker papa. My
fucker pappa. Reading through my files was redacted because Autotomatic said that it was confidential and it's not appropriate for ad angitat to have access to quote unquote sensitive information. But that is my fucker papa, not fuck a papa, that autotomitic Ke should be redicting because they believe that it is sensitive information.
She's calling for udoing atamari Ki to be stripped of its responsibilities.
Divesting the resources from Audo Automiti Ki into Ewe or hpur community lead services that actively support and enhance the lives of our young people.
Is ordering antamidiki for purpose, not at all.
There are very few of us who have actually made it out unscathed. There are very few of us that can look back at our childhoods and be happy about them.
So take me through what happens when you leave care. You've been in the system, I believe since seven months old, and of course you spoke out at age sixteen, you're now nineteen. What kind of level of support does OT give you at the moment? What has given you to leave care? So you said that there's not much help finding suitable accommodation.
Well, so obviously let's roll this back. There's a Transition Support line which their goal is to support young people still in care but in the transition space from their age sixteen up until twenty five. They work with an ungatah up until the age of twenty five. They also provide that etre enticement to remain or return to a caregiver who that ang a tahe would like that can that is legislated up until the age of twenty twenty one.
So I used ETRR to be able to live with my grandfather and be provided with that support where we work out in an agreement on how much I pay per week. I've also been provided in some cases with a maximum of five sessions counseling or midimity support for me. That only comes in installments of five sessions because it is quote unquote too expensive for the taxpayer to be paying.
But in my eyes, that is ridiculous. We should be provided with the appropriate supports to be able to do better and ultimately be safe and stable in our place. What atomidiki are also supposed to be providing support to itahi in terms of mental health, wellbeing, health and expenses that day to day we need to be able to live in this world and be independent from the automot
k system. However, they solely rely on the Ministry of Social Development to provide that support or say, have you contacted Ministry of Social Development even before what an automatic will consider to look at providing the basic needs which include food, accommodation, transport costs in case they're as a tonguey or a funeral. And yes, I do get that what an automot ke need to be careful with their expenditure.
But these are some of our most vulnerable young people that need extra support to be able to live in this world.
And it suffice to say that those young people going through care, and yourself included, do have mental health issues that need to be addressed.
One hundred percent our young people, including myself, are vulnerable. They've experienced abuse in the early years of life. They've also experienced abuse through care. They've also had traumatic uplifts. And yes, he need to have wrap around support which includes mental health and healthcare funded by Timidake.
From your experience with Automatiki, do you think everyone that works there.
Cares?
I believe that there are people within automotic that care, but there are also other people who do not care about the lives of our most vulnerable and I guess that's a culture that needs to change within the ministry and I'm hopeful that Dtimdake will change that culture. But in saying that, we are seeing a chief executive who has come from the Ministry of Defense and Ministry of Justice, who is bringing that punitive approach to caring for our
most vulnerable. I think change needs to start from the top. But also I go back to my earlier point that what timitike needs to be dismantled and the provisions of care need to be provided to Fino, Hapu and Ewei.
Thanks for joy, no problem. That's it for this episode of the Front Page. You can read more about today's stories and extensive news coverage at enzidherld dot co dot nz. The Front Page is produced by Jane Ye and Richard Martin, who is also our editor. I'm Chelsea Daniels. Subscribe to The Front Page on iHeartRadio or wherever you get your podcasts, and tune in tomorrow for another look behind the headlines.