A group of politicians wants the Government to go through its report on the health and happiness of Maori children with a fine-tooth comb.
A political inquiry into the health and happiness of Maori children has made 48 recommendations to improve the lives of tamariki.
The inquiry looked at issues including public money spent on tamariki, health, education, social services, and the justice sectors.
The cross-party report said improving the wellbeing of tamariki Maori was in the interests of all New Zealanders.
Maori Affairs Select Committee chair Tau Henare said ministers across all portfolios should study the report, one of the key recommendations of which was to take a holistic approach.
Mr Henare said agencies should not assume they they could not tackle a problem just because it did not fall under their area of responsibility.
It was time agencies and ministries tied themselves together for the sake of tamariki, he said.
The report's recommendations included:
- Ensuring teacher training programmes improve teachers' awareness of social justice issues regarding education and tamariki in poverty;
- addressing funding inequities between kohanga reo and other early children services;
- extending programmes such as Te Kotahitanga which supports teachers to improve Maori students' learning and achievement;
- reviewing the welfare scheme Working for Families to assess if it is really helping whanau; and
- developing mobile whanau teams to provide home-based services, particularly in low-income and isolated areas.
The committee dedicated the report to one of its late members, Labour and former minister MP Parekura Horomia.
