Hipango HareteHARETE HIPANGO (National): First of all Mr Speaker I acknowledge you for allowing the House to address this under urgent debate recognising the importance of this and the priority that not just this House but New Zealand and New Zealanders must give to the importance of the care and protection of all of our children—but most especially our children who are the most vulnerable who have been abused traumatised damaged institutionalised and put into the care of the State. We've heard today that the State has failed in its duty of care to five vulnerable abused traumatised and damaged children. They aren't the first—the question is will they be the last? Mr Speaker I acknowledge you for the dignity that you have allowed the importance of this debate to be addressed and raised in the House under urgency.Like the former speaker Angie Warren-Clark I heard of this news belatedly. A number of us have been in the Social Services and Community Committee since early this morning and it was on leaving that that news broke and we became aware of this event and that these allegations that the Minister for Children disclosed in the House today came to his knowledge on 8 June: this month; this year. According to the news media reports Chappie Te Kani the chief executive of Oranga Tamariki has said that on Wednesday two staff members have been removed in relation to the alleged inappropriate sexual behaviour and it's reported that he said he was informed of the allegations in the past week—in the past week—yet we have a Minister for Children disclosing in the House that he became aware of these allegations on 8 June 2023; today is 21 June 2023. I pose the question: will this be the last time that our most vulnerable who are placed into the care and protection of the State to care and protect them—will this be the last time? On 30 June 2021 the then chief executive Sir Wira Gardiner commenced an investigation into excessive force in youth justice residences and here we are two years later almost to the day—there are further victims of abuse in our State agency. I'm particularly perturbed—it's not just significantly important and it's not just five children who have been subjected to further abuse. I know and a number of us know that these kids go into these institutions because they have been damaged. Having been a youth advocate going into those institutions and working alongside our children I know the trauma that many of them have suffered before going into the very place that should provide that blanket of protection for them. But I am seriously concerned and perturbed that we have a Minister for Children standing in this House devoid of compassion for those children pointing the finger across the House playing the politics. The politics must be taken out of this and the priority has to be about how we collectively—not just as a Parliament but as a society as New Zealanders—put the priority and shift the culture of our country to cherish our children; tiaki our tamariki. They are taonga; why are they continually subjected to this ongoing culture of being treated as second- and third- class citizens? Mr Speaker thank you for allowing and indulging us the opportunity to raise and to lift the importance of this issue under this debate of urgency. Distressing; appalling; repugnant; repulsive; abusive; despicable. And I speak not just as a member of Parliament I speak not just as a former youth justice advocate; I speak as a mother and if that was one of my children—but they are the children of five whānau of a community; they are children that were in the State care and protection and this continues to happen. Had it not been for the Children's Commissioner having the power and authority to visit unannounced into a youth justice residence—or residences; it's not known how many; it is known that there are five children where allegations have been made and disclosed as a result of the Children's Commission Office going in unannounced conducting inquiries and investigations. I look over and I see my colleague Matt Doocey spokesperson for mental health. I know as a former district inspector of mental health having the power and the authority to go into these institutions unannounced to conduct investigations and inquiries is so very important to keep the balance of power there because we have people we have children in these institutions where they are powerless. They are in the protection supposedly of the State of the authority—all the more reason that the Minister for Children should be acting with a measure of compassion a measure of care a measure of articulating that the State has a responsibility and duty of care and a legal responsibility to ensure our children are protected. Instead I bore witness—along with everybody else in this House and those who are watching from the TV world—to a Minister who stood there and pointed the finger across the House. Where is the compassion in that? Where is the accountability? Where is the acceptance of responsibility? A Minister is in that position irrespective of which Government or which party. Let's take the politics out of this and position and put our children at the forefront. We had legislation in this House earlier this year and last year called the Oversight of the Oranga Tamariki System—Act it now is. This Government has failed to act in putting the priority in putting the best interests and welfare of our children at the front first and foremost. And I continue to advocate in this House as I've always done on child welfare legislation or bills proposed in this House that the Government has overlooked. It has had oversight and put its politics before the welfare the best interests the paramountcy of those principles and legal responsibilities for our children. What must come out of this is accountability and for this Government—for the Minister for Children—to stop standing there pointing the finger and remonstrating and saying we need to look inwards; we need to make things better."In closing Mr Speaker thank you for the opportunity to debate this because it is urgent. It is a priority and we collectively as parliamentarians must ensure that the welfare best interests care and protection of all children but especially those who are in the State institutions of care are first front and foremost protected and cared for."