Social workers at Oranga Tamariki—the government agency responsible for protecting children—are regularly skipping meetings where different agencies work together to keep at-risk kids safe. A leader in the family violence sector has publicly called this out as dangerous.

Ruth Money told RNZ on 17 June 2026 that the no-shows put children's lives at risk. When Oranga Tamariki workers don't turn up, the different agencies involved—police, doctors, school staff—can't share the information they need to keep children safe. Each agency works with different pieces of the puzzle, and when one piece is missing, the whole picture falls apart.

These meetings aren't casual get-togethers. They're how government agencies manage cases where children are being seriously harmed or in danger. Oranga Tamariki's social workers carry information no one else has access to. Without them in the room, that information stays locked away.

This is a known problem among people working in child protection across New Zealand. Oranga Tamariki has been struggling with too many cases for too few staff, with high turnover among workers. When workers are stretched too thin, they miss meetings. That's one way the strain shows up.

Under the law, Oranga Tamariki must send someone to youth justice family meetings—a type of conference for young people at risk of being charged with a crime. But there's no legal requirement for them to attend the general child safety meetings. That may be why absences keep happening.

Money isn't exaggerating the danger. When investigations into child deaths happen, they often find that poor communication between agencies played a part. Her warning reflects what those reports consistently show. When agencies don't talk to each other, children get hurt.

We don't know how often this is happening across the whole country, or which areas are most affected. Oranga Tamariki hasn't publicly responded to Money's criticism.

Right now, Oranga Tamariki is trying to fix problems that were found in reviews a few years ago. The Minister for Children says getting better at protecting kids is a top priority. Missing these safety meetings works against that goal. Money's public statement on a major news platform means this won't be quietly forgotten. These meetings are one of the cheapest and most effective ways to protect children before situations get worse.