Police are investigating alleged sexual behaviour between Oranga Tamariki staff and young people with two staff members stood down.

Oranga Tamariki chief executive Chappie Te Kani said he had been informed of two serious allegations of staff acting inappropriately towards young people in Oranga Tamariki residences in the past two weeks.

“This alleged behaviour is unacceptable and there is no place for it in our organisation or in our communities,” Te Kani said.

“I have taken immediate action to remove the two staff members from our residences.

“Police were brought in immediately and have active investigations that will be ongoing.

”My priority is the safety and well-being of the young people involved in these allegations.”

Te Kani said police were brought in immediately and are investigating. Oranga Tamariki is also carrying out its own internal investigations.

Concerns about the two individuals were brought up separately and raised by staff but Te Kani was limited on the details he could give around the alleged offending, given the active investigations underway. The alleged offending happened in youth justice and care protection facilities.

Te Kani said he was not prepared to wait for the outcome of any investigation.

While these are currently individual and isolated incidents, one is one too many, he said.

”I am not prepared to compromise on the welfare of our tamariki. Children and young people in our care must be cared for. Young people in our facilities must be safe,” Te Kani said.

The alleged offending occurred within the last year, but officials are still working out the exact details and facts

Former Police Commissioner Mike Bush has been brought into Oranga Tamariki to run all Youth Justice and Care and Protection residences and to lead a rapid review across all the residences including Oranga Tamariki community-based homes. From Friday, Bush will take on the leadership of all Youth Justice and Care and Protection residences.

Te Kani said the young people affected have all been contacted and social workers will continue to work alongside them and their whanau. “All of the young people have got all of the support they need around them.”

At this stage around five young people are affected

Bush will be assisted by Shannon Pakura, former Chief Social Worker, and a member of the Government Ministerial Advisory Board to the Minister for Children. The review will be completed within two months and the findings will be made public.

Bush said he would first do an in-depth and independent review to understand if there were further or underlying issues.

More soon...