NUPE Applauds $41M Government Investment in Oranga Tamariki Staff Training

Last week, Minister for Children Karen Chhour announced a major funding boost: $41 million allocated to upskill frontline staff in Oranga Tamariki (OT) youth care homes. NUPE applauds the allocation of funding and will be meeting with OT leaders to understand the detail of what this upskill will look like in real terms.

Residential Services: Long Overlooked and Underfunded

This funding addresses a long-standing concern: OT’s residential services have often been neglected. A 2023 review identified workforce readiness as a major weakness, flagging staff as "relatively unskilled" in key areas. With cutbacks in recent years—including hundreds of job losses and reduced NGO partnerships—residential care settings have struggled to maintain safety due to staff retention issues, experience, training, supervision and a strong practice framework.

A Renewed Leadership Strategy

Under its new leadership, OT has crafted a refreshed strategy to reinforce safe, therapeutic residential services. Central to this plan is ensuring that there is strong recruitment, induction, and ongoing professional development. The $41M investment is a signal that the development of staff is a priority.

NUPE: Driving Change Through Advocacy

For years, the National Union of Public Employees (NUPE) has insisted on the necessity of robust investment in residential workforce capability. NUPE has championed that only well-supported staff—who are confidently trained and valued—can deliver the safe, caring, and effective services OT strive to deliver.

“A safe, therapeutic service relies on staff being properly recruited, inducted, trained and developed—not only for their own professional growth but for the wellbeing of every child and young person in care.”

This recent funding announcement represents a hard-won victory for NUPE’s persistent advocacy. It demonstrates that government and agency leaders have heard NUPE’s calls and are willing to back them financially.

Next Steps: Turning Investment Into Action

NUPE will soon engage directly with OT senior leaders to clarify how the funding will be translated into real-world change. These discussions will focus on:

1. Training design — topics covered, standards set, delivery models

2. Implementation timelines — how soon programmes will begin, rollout phases

3. Access and equity — ensuring all residential staff have meaningful opportunities

4. Ongoing evaluation — how learning will be assessed and sustained

   
   

NUPE is determined to ensure this investment doesn’t remain a line on a page but becomes tangible improvements in care quality, safety, and staff wellbeing.

Celebrating Progress, Demanding Momentum

This $41M commitment marks a significant turning point in addressing the decades-long underinvestment in residential care services. Thanks to the combined force of NUPE’s advocacy and fresh OT leadership, Aotearoa is poised to deliver the professionally supported, therapeutic environments that our most vulnerable young people need—and deserve.

NUPE remains committed to accompanying this progress every step of the way. The real measure of success will be in the transformation of staff practice, the uplift in service quality, and the confidence and respect OT residential work deserves.

Residential staff are consistently under a lot of pressure. Young people in care come with high and complex needs and often volatile and dangerous behaviour. It is essential that staff are provided the resources, training and support they need to deliver the service safely.