Today Te Pāti Māori MP for Te Tai Tokerau, Mariameno Kapa-Kingi, released her members bill that will see the return of tamariki and mokopuna Māori from state care back to te iwi Māori. This bill will establish an independent authority that asserts and protects the rights promised in He Whakaputanga and Te Tiriti o Waitangi.

"This authority will be the primary national agency that ensures the care and protection for mokopuna and tamariki Māori, prioritising whakapapa because whānau know what is best for their own mokopuna, not the state," said Te Pāti Māori Spokesperson for Children, Mariameno Kapa-Kingi.

"Dame Whina Cooper once said, "Take care of our children. Take care of what they hear, take care of what they feel. For how the children grow, so will be the shape of Aotearoa". This drives the ethos behind the authority- Hokinga Whakapapa, Oranga Mokopuna.

"This bill honours the whakapapa-based rights and obligations of whānau, hapū, and iwi establishing a partnership network across these streams and Māori organisations including urban Māori organisations and with survivors of state care.

"No child can thrive when they're just trying to survive, and our children deserve to know where and who they truly come from. With this independent authority our mokopuna shall no longer be ostracised from society or from their own.

"Mokopuna Māori are our lifeline, they hold the key for our future as tangata whenua. Their return to us will be a major catalyst for their ability to thrive as their whakapapa intended.

"This is the time to do something of substance with and for our people. It is our job to serve and do what is best by our mokopuna and tamariki. We Māori are the sole carers of this responsibility and so shall it remain with us,” concluded Kapa-Kingi.

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