Our values and policies | Ō mātou uara me ngā kaupapa here

How we work

Underpinning our work are our principles of being child-centred (within the context of their whānau
Whānau refers to people who are biologically linked or share whakapapa. For the Monitor’s monitoring purposes, whānau includes parents, whānau members living with tamariki at the point they have come into care View the full glossary) and having te ao Māori
The Māori worldView the full glossary lens across all that we do.

Our values lay a sound foundation for us to work with tamariki
Children (plural) aged 0-13 yearsView the full glossary and rangatahi
Young person aged 14 – 21 years of ageView the full glossary and those who hold their best interests at heart: their whānau, hapū
Sub-tribeView the full glossary, iwi
TribeView the full glossary and communities.

Working with others enables us to achieve our goal of improving outcomes for tamariki and rangatahi. We build relationships based on respect and trust, reciprocity, a common focus, cohesiveness and proactive engagement.

Kia Māia – Courageous

We are brave, bold, capable and confident. This means we:

stand up for what is right
tell the truth, even when it isn’t popular.

Manaaki – Respectful

We show respect and care for others. This means we:

respect diversity of thought, action, and culture
have a child-centred and te ao Māori
The Māori worldView the full glossary perspective woven throughout our work
look out for each other and make work a safe place for our colleagues.

Kia Pono, Kia Tika – Trustworthy

We are honest and genuine and do the right thing. This means we:

admit when we don’t know the answer
cross-check our data
do what we say we will and communicate in a timely manner if we can’t.

Kia Huritao – Reflective

We are considered and reflective. This means we:

learn from experience, value feedback, and always look for opportunities to improve
take the necessary time to make the best decisions we can
never assume we know what is best.

Our tikanga approach

Tamariki
Children (plural) aged 0-13 yearsView the full glossary and rangatahi
Young person aged 14 – 21 years of ageView the full glossary are at the centre of our mahi
WorkView the full glossary (work). We do this by supporting our kaimahi to:

Build knowledge, experience, capability and understanding of tikanga
Correct procedure, the customary system of values and practices that have developed over time and are deeply embedded in the social context View the full glossary Māori and te reo to confidently engage with whānau
Whānau refers to people who are biologically linked or share whakapapa. For the Monitor’s monitoring purposes, whānau includes parents, whānau members living with tamariki at the point they have come into care View the full glossary, hapū
Sub-tribeView the full glossary and iwi
TribeView the full glossary.
Embed te ao Māori
The Māori worldView the full glossary into the way we work.
Seek advice and use empathy and judgement to adapt to the context and circumstances.
Learn about and respect cultural similarities and differences and appreciate diversity

Our child-centred, whānau-led practice means we:

Use experience, knowledge and capabilities to confidently engage with tamariki and their whānau.
Ensure that there is an understanding that a child needs to be seen in the context of their whānau.
Use experience and knowledge to make children’s participation and the voice of tamariki front and centre.

Through our work, we are committed to improving the lives of tamariki and rangatahi, enabling them to realise their potential with the support of their whānau, hāpu, iwi and communities. It is the right thing to do and they deserve no less.

Our tikanga approach (PDF 174KB)

Protecting the safety and privacy of the people we hear from are fundamental requirements of the work we do. The core policies below are the foundations of our mahi
WorkView the full glossary. You'll find more about how we work on our what we do page.

Privacy statement

Internal link

Child protection policy

Internal link

Ethics Code

pdf | 303 KB Download

The Oversight of Oranga Tamariki System Act requires us to review and consult on our Information Rules and Ethics Code every two years and then publish these on our website. We are seeking feedback on the draft documents, particularly from providers under sections 362, 364, 396 or 403 of the Oranga Tamariki Act.

The Information Rules relate to our collection, use, and disclosure of information. The Rules combine several documents we currently use regarding the collection, use and disclosure of information into a single document.

The Ethics Code will help to guide our monitoring engagements. It outlines the ethical guidelines and best practice principles that we follow when engaging with tamariki
Children (plural) aged 0-13 yearsView the full glossary, rangatahi
Young person aged 14 – 21 years of ageView the full glossary, their whānau
Whānau refers to people who are biologically linked or share whakapapa. For the Monitor’s monitoring purposes, whānau includes parents, whānau members living with tamariki at the point they have come into care View the full glossary, family and caregivers. This is a slight update to our existing Ethics Code.