Independent Children's Monitor report, June 2024 (published February 2025).

The National Care Standards (NCS) Regulations came into effect in 2019, and set out the minimum standard of care that must be provided when the state has custody of a child.

Aroturuki Tamariki | Independent Children's Monitor (ICM) reports annually on whether agencies with custody and care responsibilities are complying with the National Care Standards Regulations and whether it is making a difference for tamariki (children) and (young people) in care. ICM does this by looking at what the data shows and what people tell ICM they are experiencing.

This is the fourth full report on compliance with the NCS Regulations. It found that tamariki and rangatahi are still not receiving the minimum standard of care required by the NCS Regulations.

Oranga Tamariki, Open Home Foundation, Barnardos, and Kōkiri Marae have custody and care responsibilities. Oranga Tamariki had custody of around 99 percent of the 5,722 children in care during the 2023/24 reporting period. Record #9142