New Zealand Minister for Children Tracey Martin (left) met with officials from Snuneymuxw First Nation and Kw’umut Lelum Child and Family Services on Wednesday Oct. 9, part of bi-lateral educational tour focused on child services. (Alex Rawnsley/NanaimoNewsNOW)

By Alex Rawnsley

EDUCATIONAL VISIT

New Zealand minister visits Nanaimo to learn about Indigenous child services

Oct 9, 2019 | 9:15 AM

NANAIMO — New Zealand’s Minister for Children met with Indigenous Nanaimo representatives to learn how to best care for Indigenous children.

Minister Tracey Martin’s Canada-wide education tour was greeted with traditional songs and dance at a ceremony in Cedar on Wednesday, Oct. 9.

The ceremony on Snuneymuxw First Nation land capped morning meetings with local officials from Kw’umut Lelum Child and Family Services about its child services model, which aims to prevent Indigenous children from entering government-run care.

“We’re on a journey,” Martin said. “Similar to Canada and the First Nations here, we are trying to devolve responsibility from government to Maori regarding child protection and child care.”

Martin was particularly interested in Kw’umut Lelum’s focus on Indigenous children transitioning into adult life when they turn 19.

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“Talking to Indigenous people and First Nations services about new legislation, new funding models, the difference between on and off reserve care. That’s what the visit has been about, finding that nuance and seeing how they’ve done it.”

Bill Yoachin, executive director for Kw’umut Lelum, said it’s an area they and New Zealand have devoted considerable resources.

“You plunk a bunch of kids in one place, sometimes people have the heart to care but they don’t have the means. We need to make sure we get the resources and supports for those folks, which is what she’s doing down there.”

Yoachim pointed to a Kw’umut Lelum pilot project called Step Up. It aims to prepare youth for adulthood, instead of cutting them loose from a structured care system at 19 years old.

Martin, accompanied by New Zealand’s high commissioner to Canada Daniel Mellsop, said there are many parallels between the two countries and how far reconciliation efforts need to go.

“I don’t think you’d speak to any Maori that says New Zealand is perfect with recognition,” Martin said. “We’ve only just made the decision as a government to teach all of New Zealand history, including the land wars and the confiscation of land.”

She also highlighted the challenges Canada faces with its vast geography, compared to the relatively tiny New Zealand.

“We don’t have 223 First Nations each with variations of dialects, we have small variations but not with the huge differences you have here,” Martin said. “I think we’re lucky in New Zealand with the number of tribes. We have one treaty and a core language with a lot of nuances.”

According to Martin, the Maori economy is worth around $11 billion annually to New Zealand.

“It’s given Maori back the capacity to make their own decisions and stand on their own feet. From my perspective in terms of child protection, that means they are more than capable of looking after and making decisions for their own children.”

Martin was gifted a hand-crafted wooden box by Snuneymuxw First Nation. She returned the gesture by giving a ceramic Maori mask with a traditional face tattoo.

–with files from Spencer Sterritt

alex.rawnsley@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @alexrawnsley