Ngāti Toa CEO, Helmut Modlik, has delivered a clear message to the Select Committee regarding the Repeal of Section 7AA.

“Do what’s right, and if any of you can’t because your personal experience means you cannot objectively consider others lived experience, preferences, Tīriti obligations, or objective evidence, then stand aside. It’s time to do what is right!”

Modlik emphasized to the Select Committee that the Government must halt the Repeal of Section 7AA, insisting it is the right course of action. He strongly argued that there is no substantial evidence to support the Government's claims about the repeal's benefits.

Ngāti Toa are one of the 11 Strategic Partnerships that have been established since coming into force in 2017. He shared that through this relationship there has been positive outcomes achieved for whānau, including the way that Oranga Tamariki work with his iwi organisation, Te Rūnanga o Toa Rangatira. He has shared that the benefits have included reductions in Reports of Concern, Further Actions Required, and Re notification after no further action required.

The Family Group Conference model developed using Ngāti Toa tikanga (values) has increased awareness and appreciation of how Ngāti Toa tikanga can effectively operate in statutory social work, resulting in tamāriki remaining in safe, loving, whānau environments.

Modlik was dumbfounded that the Repeal continued its passage through Parliament given the “shock and shame” following the recent release of “Whanaketia”, The Report for Abuse in State Care.

He described the abuse perpetrated on the most vulnerable in society as a “stain on the State” and collective conscience, highlighting that decision-makers who allowed these horrors, simply did not care enough. He urged them to learn from these failures and avoid repeating them.

Government officials have acknowledged in cabinet briefings and supporting Regulatory Impact Statements that repealing Section 7AA won't achieve the desired outcomes and lacks robust evidence. The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child analysis suggests that a full or partial repeal would be worse than the current situation.

He further stated there is no evidence to show that 7AA is causing the harm the Minister has defined.

Section 7AA supports a higher level of care for mokopuna Māori in a way that enables us to participate effectively and meets the obligations of Te Tiriti, words echoed by others including Mana Mokopuna – Children and Young Peoples Commission, the Association of Social Workers (the professionals working with these whānau), Community Law Aotearoa, survivors of state care, care givers with decades of experience, and a social investment expert who highlighted the national cost of a repeal.

In closing, Helmut noted that this repeal, like others before Parliament, breaches the Crown's apology to Ngāti Toa made through their Treaty Settlement signed ten years ago.

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