Tolley AnneCHILDREN YOUNG PERSONS AND THEIR FAMILIES (ORANGA TAMARIKI) LEGISLATION BILLVULNERABLE CHILDREN AMENDMENT BILLThird ReadingsHon ANNE TOLLEY (Minister for Children): I move That the Children Young Persons and Their Families (Oranga Tamariki) Legislation Bill and the Vulnerable Children Amendment Bill be now read a third time. I am so pleased to be here as the Minister for Children to move the third reading of this legislation. It marks a significant step in what has been and will continue to be a considerable journey to transform the way we care for and protect our most vulnerable children and young people. In April 2016 I released the independent expert panel's report on the state of our care and protection and youth justice system. The report made it very clear that the system that was supposed to protect our most vulnerable children and young people was broken. It made a clear case for change and it proposed a bold set of recommendations. The Government responded to these recommendations by agreeing to major reform. This legislation is the second significant piece of legislation in this reform and it represents the biggest change to the Children Young Persons and Their Families Act 1989 in its nearly 30-year history.Right throughout this journey I have made it clear I did not want adult political agendas to dictate the shape of this legislation. These are changes that affect our children and young people which means it is their voices and their experiences we must listen to if we are going to get this right. To the members of our Youth Advisory Panel many of whom were here yesterday for the Committee of the whole House and their supporters I want to thank them for their contribution to this legislation. I thank them for every story they bravely shared and I thank them for every piece of feedback they have given me. Their voices have been and continue to be central to the changes we are making and they have been invaluable in helping me to understand what more we can do to provide all children with safe stable and loving homes—and I always add preferably with their own family. As I said in the House last week I made a promise to this country's children and young people that their voices would be cemented into legislation and that their safety and best interests would be at the heart of everything we do. That is exactly what this legislation will achieve. This legislation seeks to provide the foundations for a child-centred care and protection and youth justice system and will support the core services of the Ministry for Vulnerable Children Oranga Tamariki. These changes signal a significant shift from responding to a crisis to a much greater emphasis on prevention early intervention and transition support to independence. We have got a lot of work ahead of us over the next 4 to 5 years if we are to deliver lasting and significant change for our most vulnerable children and young people but this legislation undeniably represents a major milestone. To provide the foundation for the new child-centred system it revitalises the purposes and principles of the Act to embed a truly child-centred approach. Being child-centred is about elevating the status of children's interests rights well-being and views. It is about listening to them and putting their need for safety stability and support at the centre of all decisions and actions. Everyone agrees a child's safety must come first but this does not need to be at the exclusion of wider whānau who are able to provide a safe stable and loving home. During the progress of the legislation I have engaged widely with community groups NGOs and iwi right across the country to ensure the legislation clearly articulates this. We know no child exists in isolation which is why the legislation highlights the concepts of mana tamaiti whakapapa and whanaungatanga. These concepts acknowledge that all children have their own intrinsic value and that they are part of a wider group. Children are not only part of their own immediate family but also part of their wider family group their community their culture and their whakapapa. Together these help give children an identity a place and a sense of belonging and because of this this legislation recognises the need to strengthen families to care for their children.We know that six out of 10 children in care are Māori and young Māori are overrepresented in the youth justice system. This legislation specifically seeks to improve outcomes for Māori. It places a set of duties on the chief executive to give a practical commitment to the principles of the Treaty of Waitangi including an obligation to seek to develop strategic partnerships with iwi and Māori organisations. And it requires regular public reporting on how well we are improving these outcomes for young Māori.This legislation also enhances support for young people to transition to independence. We know a parent's role does not end the day a young person turns 18. As parents we stick around to give our children the advice and support they need as they start to make their way in the world and the State needs to do the same. That is why this legislation will allow young people to remain with or return to a caregiver up to the age of 21 with the possibility of receiving additional advice and assistance up to the age of 25.The legislation creates an information-sharing framework to enable timely and appropriate exchange of information about vulnerable children to promote their safety and well-being. For years those working to protect children have told us that a major barrier to keeping them safe is the lack of an active and consistent approach to information sharing between agencies and professionals. Within strong safeguards this framework will allow information to flow as required to those who need it when they need it so we can keep children safe from harm.This legislation also improves support for young people at risk of offending or reoffending. Significantly it includes 17-year-olds in the youth justice system but makes it clear that those charged with serious and repetitive offences are to be dealt with in the adult courts. It is a change I am very proud of. We know from the evidence that this will set these young people on a better path long term while also reducing risk and harm in our communities.This legislation also changes the name of the Children Young Persons and Their Families Act 1989 to the Oranga Tamariki Act 1989. It is a change that reflects the aspirations that we hold for New Zealand's most vulnerable children and one that recognises that their well-being and voices must be at the centre of all we do.As I have said time and time again these legislative changes are just one part of the Government's response. Through strategic partnering a trauma-informed practice framework wider engagement with communities and better support for families whānau and caregivers we will build on these changes so that we can establish a truly child-centred system. Ultimately this is what is needed to help ensure our most vulnerable children and young people have the best chance to have happy and healthy childhoods develop a sense of belonging and identity and grow into flourishing adults.I would like to acknowledge the Social Services Committee for its consideration of this legislation. The changes it has recommended have greatly improved its clarity. I also want to thank the many individuals organisations and iwi who made written and oral submissions on the legislation. It is always encouraging to hear how passionate New Zealanders are about making a difference in the lives of our children and young people and I sincerely believe the changes in this legislation will help make that difference.As I conclude today I want to once again thank those young people who have been involved in this journey. It has been nearly 2 years since I was sitting in my office talking to our first panel of young people who gave up their time to me and the panel and gave the expert panel a first-hand insight into our care system. I remember them telling me that this is happening to them it is their lives but no one ever asks what they want or what is best for them. To them to the current Youth Advisory Panel members and to the members of VOYCE - Whakarongo Mai thank you. I hereby commend the Children Young Persons and Their Families (Oranga Tamariki) Legislation Bill and the Vulnerable Children Amendment Bill to the House.