Tell us more about your background, where have you come from?

I was born and raised in Ōtepoti/Dunedin and now live in Tāmaki Makaurau/Auckland with my three daughters. As a qualified social worker, I have over 25 years’ experience in the social sector. Personal integrity, respect, and care are central to who I am and how I work.

Before coming to Family, my work included monitoring Oranga Tamariki’s work, teaching and researching at the University of Auckland Faculty of Counselling, Human Services and Social Work. I was also a Principal Advisor at the Abuse in Care Royal Commission of Inquiry which has revealed the dark sides and failures of New Zealand’s care system. The findings and recommendations help shape the work of Family For Every Child in Aotearoa. In addition to my work with Family, I work as a consultant to Safeguarding Children.

I completed my doctoral thesis in 2022, titled “Gremlin of Silence: Exploring the New Zealand Catholic, Methodist and Presbyterian Institutional Responses to Interpersonal Violence. What is helping and hindering the development of their responses and how can their respective responses be improved.” You can read it here.

What inspires you most about your job?

I am inspired by a desire to see children, families, whānau and communities thriving. All children and tamariki need love, guidance and support from their families and whānau, opportunities to play and be with friends, and to be valued as part of their communities. They also need to be treated with respect and be listened to.
I love that Family For Every Child is committed to being led by, and working collaboratively with local changemakers. Our work is developed through actively listening to children, their whānau, hapū, iwi and the communities and groups impacted by the issues that we are working to address.

Their experiences, ideas and aspirations inform our advocacy for real, tangible systemic change. I have had the privilege of working with many children and tamariki in my work and research – they have incredible insights, ideas and solutions to issues, and we need to listen to them.

What are the most pressing challenges that vulnerable tamariki and rangatahi in New Zealand are facing?

Oh, there are so many! That’s exactly why we do this work. Overall, we need a system that shows greater respect for the rights of all children – that must include tāmariki Māori and their right to a cultural identity and connection to whanau and whenua. The system however is failing to protect and recognise these needs, and those of rainbow, disabled, deaf and hard of hearing, neurodiverse, migrant and refugee children. We need a system that respects and caters to all and uphold rights, equally. Families, whānau and communities also need more support, so that more children can know their roots and be connected to their culture.

Then, there are too many children facing health issues, poverty, a lack of access to nutritious food, mental health support and safe housing. The system is not clearly not working. Care reform is needed to prevent further abuse and to achieve better outcomes for New Zealand’s children, families, whanau, communities and society.

How does Family’s work fit into this?

In New Zealand, we’re working together to prevent sexual violence against children and all other forms of child abuse. We advocate for better child protection and care reform to fix our broken care system. As part of this we are actively seeking to strengthen kinship care so that more children can stay connected to their whānau and community. All of this mahi (work) involves connecting local changemakers with one another. By forming this network, we support the sharing of local knowledge and practice, enabling a bigger, collective impact.
Alongside this, part of my role is to connect local stakeholders and organisations here in Aotearoa with other member organisations of the Family for Every Child alliance across the globe. Through this global network, we support hundreds of thousands of children and families by taking locally-led action in our communities.

Why is the Children’s Rights Alliance Aotearoa New Zealand such an important organisation?

As one of our key partners, the Children’s Rights Alliance Aotearoa New Zealand (CRAANZ) is the country’s collective voice for children’s rights in Aotearoa. Together, we work towards a New Zealand where all children are cared for, respected and protected. We also report to the United Nations Committee on how the New Zealand government is doing in meeting its obligations under the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child.

Where is Family’s programme in New Zealand heading this year?

This year we will continue working with local partners to address the research gap around kinship care that exists in Aotearoa New Zealand. When children are unable to live with their parents, they have the fundamental right to remain living with their extended family and community. We know that many children are in whānau-based care, but we need to understand how these families can be better supported and how systems can be improved to keep more children connected to their kin.

Our work will provide robust evidence to advocate for system reform that prioritises, supports and enables whānau-based care, meaning that more children will be safer, more connected and well protected in the future.

Okay, so then what are the key changes that we are pushing for in 2025?

Our upcoming research will have an ongoing impact on the care system and the lives of vulnerable children in Aotearoa. It will:

• Support our advocacy work, which is integral to a care system that upholds children’s rights and provides meaningful support for kinship care families
• Build on Family for Every Child’s internationally recognised and accredited kinship care research by situating it within the New Zealand context.
• Promote culturally grounded definitions and understandings of kinship care, particularly for tamariki Māori.
• Address societal and cultural inequity, while filling gaps to empower kinship care families.
• On an international level, Family For Every Child are already thought leaders and recognised advocates of kinship care research. Applying our research here means that our New Zealand programme will become a fundamental puzzle piece to improving a failed system for thousands of children.

Locally, how will this work impact vulnerable rangatahi and tamariki in the long term?

For the future, this work means that more children can grow up in permanent, safe and caring families. If the research is integrated and used in policy, it will ensure that more high-quality, appropriate alternative care choices are available for children. No child should have to live outside of safe adult care, this work will help keep children connected with kinship carers and whānau, protecting them in the interim or more permanently. This will help ensure a connection with their families, whanau, culture, identity and ancestral lines.

Ultimately, we hope to provide a significant contribution to proactive safeguarding of children and the building of stronger, safer and better child protection systems in Aotearoa. It is our aim to help contribute to the wrapping around and support of families and whānau in Aotearoa so that as many children and tamariki can enjoy their rights, experience wellbeing and have a chance to thrive.