Social Development Associate Minister Chester Borrows says a claim that Child, Youth and Family took five days to respond to a critical case is not correct.
Labour Party MP Jacinda Ardern said the delay is one of the worst in a series of incidents that show at-risk children are not being assigned a social worker quickly enough.
But Mr Borrows said the child's case came to light on Good Friday and a social worker visited her that night and put her into care.
However, he said the social worker did not formally report her actions until the next working day, Tuesday, making it appear as though there had been a delay.
