Pūao-te-Ata-tū Gave Us the FGC — We Must Not Let the System Forget Why

The Family Group Conference did not come from nowhere.

It came from a history of harm.

Pūao-te-Ata-tū exposed the institutional racism embedded in the child welfare system. It showed how Māori children were alienated from whānau, hapū, iwi, whakapapa and culture through State systems that believed professionals knew best.

The old system talked about children, assessed families, held professional meetings, and made decisions that too often excluded the very people who knew the child best.

The Family Group Conference was part of the response to that injustice.

It was a radical change. It placed whānau, hapū, iwi and family groups at the centre of decision-making. It required professionals to sit with whānau, explain their concerns, and allow the family group to develop a plan. It recognised that tamariki and rangatahi are not isolated individuals. They are connected through whakapapa, whānau, hapū, iwi and community.

That vision remains as important today as it was in 1989.

When done well, FGCs support:

Whānau-led decision-making.Tamariki and rangatahi voice.Hapū and iwi participation.

Culturally grounded planning.

Collective responsibility.

Restorative justice.

Prevention of unnecessary State escalation.

Practical plans owned by whānau.

But when done poorly, the FGC becomes another State process that whānau must endure.

If preparation is rushed, whānau are not empowered.If whakapapa searching is weak, connections are missed.If hapū and iwi are not invited, cultural integrity is undermined.If plans are not resourced, whānau are set up to fail.If Coordinators are overloaded, the process becomes hollow.

NUPE says the FGC must be reclaimed as a living expression of the intent of Pūao-te-Ata-tū.

That means more than nice words.

It means investment.It means staffing.It means training.It means cultural supervision.It means proper venues, kai, travel and support.It means enough time to prepare.It means listening to experienced Coordinators.It means restoring the mana of the process.

Politicians and decision-makers must understand this: weakening the FGC weakens one of the most important Māori-led reforms in the history of child welfare in Aotearoa.

The answer is not to sideline it.

The answer is to stand it back up.

For NUPEwww.nupe.org.nz

The Missing Piece: Family Group Conferences, FGC Coordinators and Māori Outcomes

The recently released Oranga Tamariki response to the Independent Children's Monitor's Outcomes for Tamariki and Rangatahi Māori and their Whānau in the Oranga Tamariki System 2024/25 report acknowledges significant challenges facing tamariki Māori. The report discusses Māori over-representation, unmet care and protection needs, youth justice concerns, iwi-led initiatives, workforce development, commissioning reform, and data improvements.

However, one notable omission stands out: there is no mention of Family Group Conferences (FGCs).

This absence is significant

Family Group Conferences are not simply another programme within the Oranga Tamariki system. They are one of the foundational mechanisms upon which the modern child protection and youth justice system in Aotearoa was built. The FGC process emerged directly from the recommendations of Puao-te-Ata-Tū (Daybreak), the landmark report that challenged institutional racism within the welfare system and called for Māori participation, whānau decision-making, and community-led solutions.

The resulting reforms embedded Family Group Conferences into legislation, creating an internationally recognised model that placed whānau, hapū, iwi and communities at the centre of decision-making for children and young people.

Importantly, Parliament did not simply endorse the concept of Family Group Conferences. It enshrined them in law.

The Oranga Tamariki Act contains numerous provisions relating to Family Group Conferences and repeatedly references the role and responsibilities of the Family Group Conference Coordinator. The Act establishes Family Group Conferences as a core decision-making mechanism within both the care and protection and youth justice systems. The role of the Coordinator is similarly protected and recognised throughout the legislation.

This is not accidental.

The Family Group Conference Coordinator occupies a unique position within the system. The Coordinator is not simply an administrator. They are the manager of the Family Group Conference process. They are responsible for ensuring whānau participation, coordinating agencies, facilitating engagement with hapū and iwi, bringing together information, supporting procedural fairness, and creating the conditions for effective whānau decision-making.

The Coordinator is the guardian of the process.

Without effective coordination, preparation and follow-up, the quality and integrity of the Family Group Conference itself is compromised. This is why the absence of any discussion about Family Group Conferences or FGC Coordinators in a report focused on Māori outcomes is so surprising.

Many of the issues identified by the Independent Children's Monitor are precisely the issues that Family Group Conferences were designed to address:

• Supporting whānau-led decision making.

• Preventing unnecessary state intervention.

• Providing culturally grounded responses.

• Strengthening family and community networks.

• Supporting early intervention.

• Creating enduring plans that are owned by whānau rather than imposed by agencies.

• Bringing together statutory agencies, iwi and communities to collectively respond to the needs of tamariki.

The report rightly highlights the importance of Enabling Communities and iwi-led initiatives. Yet the Family Group Conference process is arguably one of the oldest, strongest and most successful examples of an iwi-led and whānau-centred mechanism already embedded within the system.

The FGC process is, in many ways, the original Enabling Communities model.

Long before current discussions about community-led solutions, Family Group Conferences were giving whānau authority, responsibility and ownership over decisions affecting their tamariki.

The report also highlights the Oranga Tamariki Practice Approach and its emphasis on mana-enhancing practice, Te Tiriti o Waitangi, and bicultural supervision. These are positive developments.

However, principles alone do not create change.

The Family Group Conference remains one of the most practical and tangible expressions of these principles in action. It provides the mechanism through which whānau voices can be heard, authority can be shared, and decisions can be made collectively.

If Oranga Tamariki is serious about improving outcomes for tamariki Māori, reducing over-representation, and enabling communities, then Family Group Conferences should be central to the conversation.

This requires more than simply maintaining the status quo.

NUPE believes the time has come for a comprehensive review of both the Family Group Conference process and the role of the Family Group Conference Coordinator.

Such a review should consider:

• Whether the current FGC process is achieving the vision originally set out in Puao-te-Ata-Tū.

• The effectiveness of FGCs in achieving outcomes for tamariki and whānau.

• The level of whānau, hapū and iwi participation in decision-making.

• The adequacy of preparation and follow-up support.

• The role and independence of FGC Coordinators.

• Workforce capability, resourcing and professional development.

• Opportunities to strengthen iwi leadership within the process.

• How FGC outcomes are measured and evaluated.

• Whether legislative intent is being fully realised in practice.

If Family Group Conferences are important enough to be repeatedly referenced throughout the Oranga Tamariki Act, then they are important enough to be discussed when considering how to improve outcomes for tamariki Māori.

The omission of Family Group Conferences from this response presents an opportunity for reflection.

Rather than viewing FGCs as a historical feature of the system, Oranga Tamariki should recognise them as one of its greatest strengths and one of its most powerful tools for achieving better outcomes for tamariki Māori.

The challenge is not whether we need more whānau-led solutions.

The challenge is whether we are prepared to invest in, strengthen, and modernise one of the strongest whānau-led mechanisms we already have.

The Family Group Conference is not a side process.

It is a statutory process.

It is an iwi-inspired process.

It is a whānau-centred process.

And it deserves renewed attention, renewed investment, and renewed commitment.

NUPE 

NUPE Annual General Meeting 2026

Join In Person or Via Teams

NUPE members from all areas are invited to take part in the 2026 AGM, either in person in Christchurch or online via Teams. It is an opportunity for members to come together, take part in union decision-making, and help shape the direction of NUPE for the year ahead.

The NUPE Executive Committee encourages members to attend and have a say in the election of the new Executive Committee. The meeting will also be advertised on the NUPE website and NUPE social media accounts so members can keep an eye out for reminders and any further information.

The AGM will be held on 28 September 2026 at 6 p.m. at the Trade Union Centre.

NUPE, 68 Langdons Road, Papanui, Christchurch.

Members who wish to attend online can request a Teams link from NUPE admin by emailing Quentin@nupe.org.nz.

If you want to nominate someone for the NUPE Executive Committee:

Email Quentin@nupe.org.nz for a nomination form. Nominations can be made before the AGM or at the Annual General Meeting on 28 September 2026.