4. Question No. 4—ChildrenKAREN CHHOUR (ACT) to the Minister for ChildrenQuestion No. 4—Children4. KAREN CHHOUR (ACT) to the Minister for Children: Does he have confidence in Oranga Tamariki's relationships with staff and contractors?Hon KELVIN DAVIS (Minister for Children): Talofa Mr Speaker. As I have said before Oranga Tamariki (OT) is improving and there is room to do better. This path to improvement also extends to how Oranga Tamariki works with and engages with staff and contractors.Karen Chhour: What specific actions if any has the Minister taken in relation to threats of Oranga Tamariki staff striking and can the Minister guarantee to vulnerable children and whānau that Oranga Tamariki staff will not strike in the next month?Hon KELVIN DAVIS: The Oranga Tamariki leadership team has been engaging in good-faith negotiations with the Public Service Association (PSA) to date. I understand that Oranga Tamariki PSA members are voting on industrial action today and it would be wrong of me to comment on that at this time.Karen Chhour: What advice has the Minister received in regards to the potential strike and how many children and families will be affected if the strike does go ahead?Hon KELVIN DAVIS: So Oranga Tamariki has a plan in place to ensure it can still provide the necessary care and support for children and similar measures have been used successfully throughout COVID as well.Karen Chhour: For how much money was the contract recently signed between OT and John Tamihere's charity and is the Minister reconsidering this contract in light of today's revelation that his charities are under investigation for bankrolling John Tamihere and the Māori Party's political campaigns for nearly half a million dollars?Hon KELVIN DAVIS: I reject the premise of that question but let me say that on Friday I was pleased to witness the signing of a partnership agreement between Oranga Tamariki and Waipareira Trust. This agreement supports wraparound holistic services for whānau under a by Māori for Māori approach. This agreement recognises the Treaty-based relationship between the trust and Oranga Tamariki under section 7AA of the Oranga Tamariki Act an equity-focused section of the legislation I'm sure the member is familiar with. I'd also just like to thank her for allowing me to raise the issue of how much funding Oranga Tamariki has received since 2017. By the way the relationship has been in place since 2008 so through the previous National-ACT Government as well. But Oranga Tamariki have received since 2017 a measly $2.8 million when other providers have received tens of millions of dollars a year.Karen Chhour: So does the Minister agree with John Tamihere when he says his charity and Oranga Tamariki are in a partnership and not a contract and if Te Whānau o Waipareira is struck off the Charities Register will the Minister guarantee that this partnership will end?Hon KELVIN DAVIS: What the member needs to do is cross the bridge that is Te Tiriti o Waitangi from her Pākehā world into the Māori world and understand exactly how the Māori world operates. It's no good looking at the world from a vanilla lens.David Seymour: Point of order. The question is how the Government would respond if an event happened that I think would bring the contract into question. Now unless somehow it's addressing the question to attack the member and her world view then the question has not been addressed at all.Hon Chris Hipkins: Speaking to the point of order Mr Speaker. The question actually contained a number of parts including some assertions. The member has addressed the question; he does not have to answer to the satisfaction of the member.SPEAKER: Yeah thanks. The question was hypothetical and it did contain an assertion. If members ask such questions I've tended to allow them on the basis that members know full well the type of answer that they might get.