Blog

Iona Holsted, Chief Executive and Secretary for Education said in her response on behalf of the Ministry of Education that she does not acknowledge that our NZ education system has systemic racism . This was later endorsed by Nicholas Pole, Chief Executive and Chief Reviewer of the Education Review Office, in his response on behalf of the Education Review Office. I may have gotten it wrong. I don't think so, as I was there at the hearing. Sadly, our media did not pick up on this, and it was...

Tēnā Koutou katoa Greetings to many I have not posted for a long time. I have been busy spending time with our survivors of abuse in State Care and rebuilding my relationship with Oranga Tamariki In short, working to heal the harm. Over the past 3 days, I attended the Royal Commission Inquiry into Abuse in State Care hearings to listen to the Institutional responses of State agencies to abuse in care I made daily posts to my LinkedIn network I am going to share those posts here with you to...

TICKETS ON SALE NOW! 3 August 2022 9am-4.30pm (NZ time) Join us for a one day Live-Streamed event to explore practice with Māori (the indigenous peoples of Aotearoa New Zealand) to contribute to your Continuing Professional Development. This symposium is an initiative to support social workers but will have great relevance for all professionals committed to culturally responsive practice and meeting Te Tiriti o Waitangi obligations. Tickets ($NZ90) and more information available from:...

Calls for upheaval in the health system are being amplified by a new study that reveals Māori are far more likely to be admitted to Intensive care after trauma or with sepsis, than non-Māori; and once admitted Māori have an increased likelihood of dying. Analysing data of more than 50,000 patients admitted to hospital over 10 years the research from the Medical Research Institute of New Zealand (MRINZ) reveals Māori patients were more likely than European patients to die within 180 days of...

Mothers need our support and guidance to become the best mother that they can be for their children Social workers and principals/teachers in New Zealand MUST use best practices in order to keep those they work with, both children and their parents safe Currently, there are far too many social workers and principals/teachers that do not use best practices causing significant harm to our parents and their children. Sadly, many professionals using bad practices are women, many are mothers.

Once you find the WHY Then you can find the WHAT WHY the behaviour WHAT I NEED TO DO In order to address a problem In order to address a behaviour You need to find out WHY it is happening That requires a thorough ecological assessment The collection of evidence from a number of sources Analysing the evidence To see if it matches If the evidence does not match You have to go and find more evidence TRUTH is when you get the same message From all sources When you have the TRUTH Then you can...

ACC is investing $44.9 million over four years to establish a fit-for-purpose sexual violence primary prevention system, Minister for ACC Carmel Sepuloni announced 3 October 2021. “Almost a quarter of adults in New Zealand have experienced sexual violence in their lifetime, and around one in six people are affected by sexual violence before the age of 18,” Carmel Sepuloni said. “These high rates cannot continue. We need to put in place systems that protect our whānau and our future...

This announcement was made by Associate Education Minister, Jan Tinetti on 22 October 2021 Students most in need of extra help in the classroom are the focus of a new review that gets under way today, Associate Education Minister Jan Tinetti says. About 50,000-80,000 children and young people are expected to benefit from a Ministry of Education review into Highest Need Learners that will help to ensure all young people are receiving the education they deserve. “All our tamariki should be...

Nau mai, haere mai The Mental Health and Wellbeing Commission opened its doors on 9 February 2021. Establishing the Commission was one of the recommendations of He Ara Oranga, the Government inquiry into mental health and addiction. The Commission's objective is to contribute to better and equitable mental health and wellbeing outcomes for people in New Zealand. It will perform an enduring role in transforming Aotearoa New Zealand's approach to mental health and wellbeing. Karen Orsborn...

On Friday 29 October 2021 the Mental Health and Wellbeing Commission’s released their first report: 'Access and Choice Programme: Report on the first two years - Te Hōtaka mō Ngā Whai Wāhitanga me Ngā Kōwhiringa: He purongo mo ngā rua tau tuatahi'. This is the first report released by the Commission since their establishment in February this year. The independent report on the Access and Choice Programme has found that the programme has put much-needed investment into primary and community...

This is great news for people with a disability in New Zealand. Many thanks to all those who worked so hard to make this happen and to Carmel Sepuloni our Minister for Disability Affairs and to Andrew Little our Minister for Health On Friday 29 October 2021 the NZ Government made an announcement on transformative changes for disabled people A joint message from Minister for Disability Issues Carmel Sepuloni and Minister of Health Andrew Little Tēnā koutou katoa, It was a pleasure for both of...

Whakarongo mai whānau! CYFS is the Humpty Dumpty of New Zealand I am oppositional defiant When I hear the words "Can't" and "Impossible" I say We can do When you believe you make the seemingly impossible Possible Social workers working for CYFS create many of the problems that families, parents and children face in New Zealand. All professionals know this: In order to understand why we have CYFS social workers that are not following best practices, we need to know about the supports that...