Kerri Cleaver Archives - Te Rūnanga o Ngāi Tahu

Posts Tagged ‘Kerri Cleaver’

Kia kuru pounamu te rongo – Treasuring our mokopuna

It’s leading the way in making mātauraka māori the rule, not the exception with a clear vision of ensuring Aotearoa is a place where all mokopuna can thrive. Independent from the Government, it advocates for the interests, rights and wellbeing of children and young people, while also serving as a watchdog of sorts – monitoring spaces where young people are detained, from care to youth justice residences. While 2021 has seen a slew of changes announced within the public sector that signal a deeper commitment to embracing Māori, for Māori models – the announcement of a Māori health authority, for instance – the Office of the Children’s Commissioner (OCC) has long been a vocal, and visible, proponent of fully realising the intention of Te Tiriti o Waitangi.

Realising a better future

Shayne Walker (Ngāi Tahu – Awarua) is unreservedly excited when he talks about the opportunity for transformative change presented by the burgeoning partnership between Te Rūnanga o Ngāi Tahu and Oranga Tamariki. “I’m stoked, like superbly stoked, that our iwi has lined up for this,” he says. “In signing the partnership, they’ve said: ‘We want to get on with this. We want to care for our own tamariki, as well as all tamariki in care in our takiwā.’” More importantly, Oranga Tamariki is working alongside the iwi to realise that aspiration. “The CEO and senior leadership team are desperate for this to succeed,” says Shayne. “To me that’s the exciting part – my observation is that the national leadership team and the local staff that we deal with here in Dunedin, they turn up to be good partners.”