Linking the push for a ‘by Māori, for Māori’ child protection system to the wider decolonisation movement.

Intern

Darrien Mitchell, University of Auckland

Supervisor

Dr Luke Fitzmaurice-Brown, Victoria University of Wellington 

Overview

This internship focused on decolonisation in the context of Aotearoa’s child protection system.

The term ‘decolonisation’ has held different meanings for different people over time. A key part of this project was to explore how Māori researchers and advocates are currently using the term, and whether this aligns with its use in other contexts globally.

In parallel, recent years have seen growing advocacy for a ‘by Māori, for Māori’ child protection system—an acknowledgment that the state system has consistently failed tamariki and whānau Māori, and that substantial change is required.

This project brought these two strands together: examining the broader decolonisation movement in Aotearoa alongside the push for Māori-led child protection reform. It asked whether ‘decolonisation’ offers a useful lens or framework for understanding and advancing these efforts, and considered how child protection reform relates to wider decolonisation movements and the evolving recognition of Te Tiriti o Waitangi.