Oranga Tamariki still isn't giving children in state care the legally required minimum standard of care, and more were abused in care, the children's monitor found.

New Zealand's Independent Children's Monitor (Aroturuki Tamariki), in its Experiences of Care in Aotearoa 2024/25 report published 4 March 2026, found 'no real improvement' in Oranga Tamariki's compliance with the National Care Standards Regulations it wrote itself. One-third of children in care were still not visited by social workers as required, only 38% had a current care plan, only 64% of caregivers were at least provisionally approved before children were placed with them, and only 11% of eligible young people had a life-skills assessment before leaving care.