VOYCE – Whakarongo Mai is warning that the future of advocacy for children in state care is under increasing financial pressure, as some representatives from the current Government failed to attend a key political discussion at the organisation’s inaugural national conference in Wellington.
More than 300 rangatahi, caregivers, sector leaders and policymakers gathered at Tākina Wellington Convention and Exhibition Centre for Kōkiri – The Future Speaks, a two-day national wānanga focused on the future of Aotearoa’s care system.
The conference provided a platform for VOYCE to outline its key election-year asks, including making state care a bipartisan national priority and securing sustainable funding to ensure the voices of children in care continue to be represented.
However VOYCE says it was disappointing that representatives from the current Government were missing from the conference’s political panel.
While Labour’s Willow-Jean Prime, the Greens’ Kahurangi Carter and Te Pāti Māori’s Oriini Kaipara took part in the discussion, National MP Paulo Garcia — was due to attend — but couldn’t appear over a scheduling issue, while ACT and New Zealand First advised they had no representatives available.
VOYCE Chief Executive Tracie Shipton says the absence was particularly concerning given the Government’s responsibility for the current care system and the policy decisions that will shape its future.
“With more than 6,000 children and young people currently in state care, this is an issue that demands leadership and accountability.”
“It was disappointing that representatives from the current Government weren’t able to front for the discussion, particularly when we are calling for care to become a bipartisan nationwide priority.”
Shipton says an administration error meant Garcia wasn’t aware of the time change.
“Which we apologise for, but had there also been a representative from ACT or NZ First there they could have spoken on behalf of our current government.”
The conference also highlighted growing concerns about the sustainability of funding for
organisations advocating for children in care.
VOYCE was established in 2017 through a partnership between government, philanthropy and the community sector, with baseline government funding delivered through an appropriation via Oranga Tamariki.
While funding increased modestly between 2022 and 2024, the organisation has not been invited to submit a further budget bid since then.
That’s led to a $2.37 million shortfall – a gap that’s been filled through careful financial
management, reserves and the support of philanthropic partners, but Shipton says the
situation cannot continue indefinitely.
“Without renewed investment we cannot continue operating in our current form, that means the possibility of cutbacks and ultimately the support and advocacy we offer our young people will suffer.”
“That makes this election year particularly important. If we want the voices of children in care to shape the system that affects them, we must ensure the organisations amplifying those voices are properly supported.”
Shipton says making state care a bipartisan national priority remains one of VOYCE’s key election-year asks.
“Children in state care need stability and consistency. That can only happen when caring for them becomes a shared commitment across the political spectrum,” she says.
“We cannot continue to see the wellbeing of these young people rise and fall depending on the priorities of whichever government is in power.”
Other priorities include recognising children in care as a priority population across government services including health, education and housing, and continuing to implement the recommendations of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in Care.
Throughout the conference, care-experienced rangatahi shared their lived experiences and hopes for the future of the care system, reinforcing VOYCE’s belief that meaningful reform must be guided by those who know the system first-hand.
Co-MC and care-experienced rangatahi Dani Wilson says the conference ensured young people were able to speak directly about their experiences and aspirations.
“This is about making sure rangatahi are not just talked about in policy discussions, but actually heard,” Wilson says.
“With an election coming up, we want decision-makers to recognise that children in care are a priority population and that their wellbeing is a responsibility shared by all of Aotearoa.”
Shipton says the message from the conference is clear: lasting change will require political courage, sustained funding and a genuine commitment to listening.
“When we truly listen to rangatahi and centre their experiences, we can transform not only the system around them, but the lives of the young people it exists to serve.”