Mother of seven becomes first assistant commissioner for Maori children

Protecting the right of Maori Tamariki to live in a world free of racism in all its forms is a key ambition outlined by the country’s first Maori Assistant Commissioner for Children.

Glenis Philip-Barbara, a mother of seven children, including three Whāngai, has been appointed to the newly created position by Judge Andrew Becroft, Commissioner for Children, in an announcement Wednesday.

“I think in terms of an advocacy organization for New Zealand’s 1.1 million children, we need to have a Maori worldview, a Maori perspective, a Maori knowledge base built into the governance of the Office, and that would benefit to all the children of New Zealand, but particularly the 300,000 Maori, ”said Becroft.

“They need a voice and they need an advocate, and the government needs to hear that voice loud and clear and I hope the role can deliver on that.

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“I would have liked a co-commissioner, but the law does not allow it. But what I can do is appoint a Maori assistant commissioner … it will be an important role and I want to work collaboratively and collegially, ”Becroft said.

Speaking in Dunedin, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said the new commissioner role “would only add to the changes [the country] is beginning to see.

“Initiatives like Oranga Tamariki’s engagement with Whānau Ora for delivery, iwi partnerships, all of that is creating momentum for change and I think this is just another good step,” Ardern said.

Philip-Barbara (Ngāti Porou, Ngāti Uepōhatu, Clan McDonald) said the role was a “great honor”.

“First of all, I really want to understand the extent to which each of those tamariki has a safe and stable whānau to grow in. I don’t think that’s common knowledge, and we need to understand it much better, I think, to help, guide and shape and influence policy as it goes.

“This will be the task that I am most eager to participate in, but also, if we can understand how many tamariki are growing in safe, stable and loving homes, then obviously we will have a measure of how many are not,” said Philip-Barbara.

She takes office at a time when the Oranga Tamariki children’s ministry is under significant pressure to meet the demands of Maori families.

These struggles came into sharp focus after a video emerged of a six-day-old Maori baby being picked up from a young Hawke’s Bay mother in May 2019. In the clashing images, the government agency made changes to its practices after two reviews of high level.

Becroft has spoken about the need for a commissioner who specifically upholds the rights of Maori children, after previously revealing that Maori babies under the age of three months are five times more likely to be abducted by the state than non-Maori.

In the first part of your report, Acidity, Posted in June this year, Maori mothers of newborns involved with Oranga Tamariki characterized the child welfare system as dangerous, brutal and racist, prompting Becroft to call for a fundamental change in the children’s ministry.

Philip-Barbara’s appointment has also coincided with the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in Care, which has highlighted the negative and intergenerational impact that mistreatment in state care has had on Maori.

Philip-Barbara has worked in public service for 30 years and has had a life-long interest in the sustainability of Maori knowledge systems and practices, especially in Maori te reo.

Seeing the images of the baby lift, Philip-Barbara agreed “with a lot of commenters, who saw it for what it was, and that’s poor practice, and I think as a nation, we need to do better,” she said.

“What’s really exciting is seeing communities that are really inclined to be part of the solution, raise their hands and participate in all the conversations and the mahi that needs to happen to turn things around for tamariki … and we can build on that momentum.” Philip-Barbara said.

Ardern also broached the topic of upgrades when asked Wednesday.

“None of us want that, but we also want children to be safe. Our goal has to be to prevent the situations where we see increases in the first place, ”said the Labor leader.