Oranga Tamariki Deputy Director Hoani Lambert Resigned, CEO Confirms

By RNZ

Grainne Moss has confirmed that Oranga Tamariki Deputy Executive Director Hoani Lambert has resigned but will not resign herself.

Moss has been speaking to the media after appearing before the Waitangi Court as the CEO of Oranga Tamariki.

When asked how he justifies keeping his job, Moss says he believes he has the full confidence of his team.

She says that she is looking forward to continuing Oranga Tamariki’s work.

She says she believes that the country’s institutions have a structural racism problem, as well as the country in general.

“I think society has a structural racism problem, and all of our institutions have a structural racism problem … the concessions were made, they were well considered,

He was expected to speak to the media around five in the afternoon, but questioning continued in court for another half hour.

Moss last month refused to resign after a presentation to the Court’s urgent inquiry into Oranga Tamariki in which he admitted that the Children’s Ministry had not yet eliminated structural racism or fully adopted the recommendations of a 1998 report.

Children’s Minister Kelvin Davis had refused to express confidence in his leadership.

Moss has been under pressure since a newsroom investigation into attempts by social workers to take a week-old baby from his mother in Hawke’s Bay sparked multiple investigations and reports.

More to come …

-RNZ