The Independent Children's Monitor () is a departmental agency within New Zealand's

Education Review Office The Education Review Office (ERO) ( Māori: ''Te Tari Arotake Mātauranga'') is the public service department of New Zealand charged with reviewing and publicly reporting on the quality of education and care of students in all New Zealand schoo ...

. It was established by the

New Zealand Government , background_color = #012169 , image = New Zealand Government wordmark.svg , image_size=250px , date_established = , country = New Zealand , leader_title = Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern , appointed = Governor-General , main_organ = , ...

in 2019 to ensure organisations working with children, young people, and their families were complying with the National Care Standards. On 1 May 2023, its role was expanded to include oversight over the entire

Oranga Tamariki Oranga Tamariki, also known as the Ministry for Children and previously the Ministry for Vulnerable Children, is a government department in New Zealand responsible for the well-being of children, specifically children at risk of harm, youth offen ...

(Ministry for Children) system. As of 2023, Arran Jones was the Chief Executive of the Independent Children's Monitor while Nova Banaghan served as the Chief Monitor.

Leadership and functions

Arran Jones serves as Chief Executive of the Independent Children's Monitor while Nova Banaghan served as the Chief Monitor. The Monitors are also supported by several Māori leaders known as Te Kāhui. As of 2023, Te Kāhui consists of Tā Mark Solomon, Druis Barrett, Katie Murray and Eugene Ryder. The Independent Children's Monitor also reports to Minister for Social Development and Employment

Louise Upston Louise Claire Upston (née McGill, born 14 March 1971) is a New Zealand politician of the National Party. She has represented the Taupō electorate in the House of Representatives since the . In the Fifth National Government, led by Prime Min ...

. The Independent Children's Monitor is governed by the

Oversight of Oranga Tamariki System Act 2022 The Oversight of the Oranga Tamariki System Act 2022 is a New Zealand Act of Parliament that establishes an Independent Monitor to provide oversight over the country's Oranga Tamariki system, which provides services and support to children, young ...

, which requires the agency to act independently of all government agencies that it monitors. Per law, its operations and findings are independent of government ministers and agencies. The Monitor also submits its reports to Parliament, whose Ministers do not have the power to comment on drafts. The Independent Children's Monitor also works with the

Children and Young People's Commission A child ( : children) is a human being between the stages of birth and puberty, or between the developmental period of infancy and puberty. The legal definition of ''child'' generally refers to a minor, otherwise known as a person younger ...

and the

Office of the Ombudsman An ombudsman (, also ,), ombud, ombuds, ombudswoman, ombudsperson or public advocate is an official who is usually appointed by the government or by parliament (usually with a significant degree of independence) to investigate complaints and at ...

. While the Commission focuses more on advocacy, the Children's Monitor is primarily a monitoring agency. The Children's Monitor monitors the Oranga Tamaraki system by ensure that organisations working with children and young people comply with their goals and legal requirements, monitor compliance with the

Oranga Tamariki Act 1989 The Oranga Tamariki Act 1989 or Children's and Young People's Well-being Act 1989 (titled the Children, Young Persons, and Their Families Act 1989 prior to 14 July 2017) is an Act of the New Zealand Parliament that was passed in 1989. The Act' ...

, National Care Standards regulations, and the Oversight of the Oranga Tamariki System Act 2022, and monitor systems-based performance by using an outcomes-based approach to vulnerable children and young people. Besides interacting with children, young people and their communities, the Children's Monitor also works with government agencies such as

and the New Zealand Police, and community organisations including

Māori Māori or Maori can refer to: Relating to the Māori people * Māori people of New Zealand, or members of that group * Māori language, the language of the Māori people of New Zealand * Māori culture * Cook Islanders, the Māori people of the Co ...

and

iwi Iwi () are the largest social units in New Zealand Māori culture, Māori society. In Māori-language, Māori roughly means "people" or "nation", and is often translated as "tribe", or "a confederation of tribes". The word is both singular and ...

(tribal) organisations.

History

The Independent Children's Monitor was established in 2019 to ensure that organisations working with children and young people complied with the Government's National Care Standards. It was first established as a business unit of the Ministry of Social Development. In August 2022, the

Sixth Labour Government The Sixth Labour Government has governed New Zealand since 26 October 2017. It is headed by Jacinda Ardern, the Labour Party leader and prime minister. Following the 2017 general election held on 23 September, the New Zealand First party he ...

passed two new laws replacing the

Office of the Children's Commissioner The Office of the Children's Commissioner (OCC; mi, Manaakitia A Tatou Tamariki) is an independent New Zealand Crown entity that was established under the Children's Commissioner Act 2003. Its main responsibilities are to protect the rights, health ...

with the

and sharing oversight of the Oranga Tamariki system between the Independent Monitor and Ombudsman. In mid April 2023, Deputy Public Service Commissioner Heather Baggott confirmed the appointment of Arran Jones to the positions of Independent Monitor of the

System and Chief Executive of the Independent Children's Monitor, commencing 1 May 2023. The Independent Children's Monitor's role was also expanded to include oversight of the entire Oranga Tamariki system. The organisation was also reconstituted as a departmental agency within the

. In early August 2024, the Independent Children's Monitor released a follow-up report to Dame Karen Poutasi's report into the death of five year old Malachi Subecz, who died after prolonged abuse by his guardian Michaela Barriball. The assessment found that the child protection system had not improved since Subecz's death. Several contributing factors included limited staffing capability, limited resources and half of NGO reports not being followed upon. The Monitor's report found that several of the recommendations of Poutasi's report had not been implemented and that several agencies including Oranga Tamariki were not prioritising child safety.

References

{{NZ Public Service Departments

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Ombudsmen in New Zealand New Zealand public service departmental agencies 2019 establishments in New Zealand Government agencies established in 2019