A young woman charged with the murder of an infant boy yesterday has prompted national child abuse advocacy group, Child Matters, to ask how many children must die before New Zealand’s politicians act.

On average, one child died every five weeks in New Zealand in 2022, with many more harmed at the hands of their parent or caregiver.

As we come into an election year, child protection needs to be a priority for politicians, Child Matters says.

Chief Executive, Jane Searle, says while communities need to be part of the solution, it is up to the politicians to take the lead by implementing the changes needed.

“We know what needs to be done, as there have been numerous reports with the same recommendations. Unless we have practical changes made, my fear is that the number of children we lose will increase.”

“Going forward, legalisation requiring mandatory training for professionals working with children and better resourcing and training for government agencies are needed to turn the tables on this issue.”

Last year, an independent review into 5-year-old Malachi Subecz’s death was released, with the Government choosing to accept only some of the report’s recommendations.

“Several more children have died since Malachi’s death in November 2021, and yet there is an apparent resistance from the Government to commit to fixing the problem with obvious solutions like mandatory training and reporting for professionals working with children of suspected child abuse cases,” she says.

Ms Searle says behind the black and white figures are thousands of children who are being abused by those they trust, many of whom are unknown to the police or Oranga Tamariki.

“The frightening truth is, as organisations and families face increasing financial and social pressures, we aren’t seeing resourcing and support being adjusted to match demand.

Ms Searle says the cost of living and housing crisis is putting immense pressure on many families and increasing community capability to support families is essential, so intervention can happen earlier.

She also believes increased public vigilance is crucial to avoid the death of another innocent child or a flurry of abuse cases - as witnessed last summer in New Zealand when three children lost their lives due to suspected abuse.

“If you have concerns about a child’s safety at your work or in a personal capacity, please make sure you speak up.

“We all have a role to play, whether that’s knowing what to do if we have concerns about the welfare of a child (and acting on it), being willing to speak up, or holding our politicians and community leaders to account on these issues,” she says.

Child Matters is an independent child abuse advocacy and training provider and New Zealand’s only national charitable trust dedicated to the prevention of child abuse.

• If you believe a child is in immediate danger the best thing to do is to call the Police on 111.
• If it's not immediate but you suspect a child may be in an unsafe environment, please contact Oranga Tamariki at contact@ot.govt.nz or phone 0508 326 459, lines are open 24/7.

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