Leanne Otene, President of the New Zealand Principals’ Federation, today said school leaders were “shocked” that charity Stand Tū Maia was under threat with their new three-year contract set to be cancelled after six months.
"The number of whānau, children and schools that have benefitted from STAND Tū Maia is immeasurable," Otene said.
Stand Tū Māia offer intensive wraparound social services to vulnerable children aged 5 to 12 and their families, a family therapy service for children aged up to 18, a social service in schools, plus the Kidzacool Adventures holiday programme for at-risk kids.
The contact is worth $21 million a year, with the charity reporting ‘budgetary reasons’ were behind the Ministry’s decision.
Stand Tū Māia chief executive Dr Fiona Inkpen said the Trust had been “forced to bring court action to hold the Ministry to its contractual obligations and prevent the Ministry from acting as though the contract has been cancelled”.
“We strongly believe Oranga Tamariki has committed an egregious breach of good faith in attempting to terminate our integrated contract at short notice, threatening our ability to provide specialist services to thousands of vulnerable children and their families,” Inkpen said.
Otene said it would be “an absolute tragedy” if Stand Tū Māia’s services were shut down.
"In the Northern region, STAND Tū Maia provides a village including a woodwork and bone carving programme, an indoor climbing wall, sports hall and an art room and pottery kiln," said noted.
“Programmes are run both inside and outdoors. Outdoors activities include hiking, biking, fishing, surfboarding, kayaking, cultural and educational visits, skateboarding, music and drama and Kapa Haka.
“These activities are used as therapies by professional social workers to address the damage caused by child trauma, family violence and other issues related to poverty.”
The association leader added that given children stay on site for up to five weeks, they are given the opportunity to develop the skills they need to heal and succeed academically in the classroom.
"Children will greatly increase their language and conversational skills and they learn so much from all the activities that they can later write about in school," she said.
The charity also ensures whānau are taken care of by trained social workers who help them overcome past trauma and teach them how to be better parents, Otene flagged.
She indicated the decision at hand just did not add up.
"I cannot understand any Government that would walk away from a programme that has been so successful in helping to heal damaged children and adults so that they can become more responsible adults raising happier and healthier children.
"In a country with yawning inequities and growing child poverty, Stand Tū Maia is a bright light of hope that we must protect and cherish.”
Some 300 frontline workers stand to lose their jobs as a result of the funding cut.
Melissa Wooley, Public Service Association Te Pūkenga Here Tikanga Mahi assistant secretary, argued it was ‘unacceptable’ for Children’s Minister Karen Chhour to hide behind the ‘convenient’ line that this was simply an ‘operational matter’.
"Not only is the Government not honouring a contract it signed but it is once again breaking its promise to New Zealanders that spending cuts would not affect frontline services.
"This is just a further example of how the Government’s decision to prioritise funding tax relief for landlords and support for tobacco companies is seeing public services being cut in communities across the motu," Woolley said.
"This is a Government of broken promises," she added.
