Ngā motika i raro i ngā Tikanga Tamariki
Different rights under the Children’s Convention
We have connected the rights within the Children’s Convention to the Child and Youth Wellbeing Strategy. The Strategy is one way the Government meets the goals of the Children’s Convention to provide a safe, healthy and happy childhood for everyone in Aotearoa. The OCC worked closely with mokopuna from across Aotearoa on this Strategy. The voices of these mokopuna helped the Prime Minister and Oranga Tamariki to understand what a good life means for mokopuna in Aotearoa and set out six outcomes based on what they said.
These six outcomes are:
Be loved, safe and nurtured
You have the right to feel loved and supported, have a safe loving home, free from harm, and that you are able to spend quality time with your whānau.
Have what they need
You have a right to you and your whānau accessing all the basic things you need to live a good life.
Be happy and healthy
You have a right to the best possible standard of health, good mental wellbeing, and for you to live in healthy, sustainable environments.
Are learning and developing
You have a right to be progressing and achieving in education, and you have the knowledge, skills and encouragement to achieve your limitless potential.
Are accepted, respected and connected
You have the right to feel valued and connected to your culture, language, beliefs and identity including whakapapa and tūrangawaewae.
Are involved and empowered
You have the right to be listened to and for your opinions to be taken into account. You have the right to be supported to be more independent as you get older, and to engage in active citizenship.
Ngā ara rerekē ki te pupuri motika
Different ways our rights are upheld
Mokopuna have rights in different ways. If you are mokopuna Māori, our rights come from whakapapa mātauranga Māori, and tikanga Māori. These rights existed long before they were recognized by the Crown in Te Tiriti o Waitangi, the founding document of Aotearoa.
Through the United Nations, the government has also agreed to promote and protect the rights of children, indigenous peoples and disabled people. As a mokopuna, you can have rights across all of these areas. Whether it comes from whakapapa, legal documents, or both, your rights matter and should be respected and upheld at all times.