From vulnerability to risk: Consolidating state interventions towards Māori children and young people in New Zealand

Abstract

Vulnerability has been a guiding narrative to state interventions towards children and their families in New Zealand. This article shows how this progressive notion has been systematically managed to fit pre-established political and policy priorities. These processes have emphasised: (i) categorisations of risk to those who demonstrate vulnerabilities; (ii) pre-emptive, multi-agency involvement in the lives of those deemed potentially ‘vulnerable’; and (iii) a responsibilising expectation that children and families will avoid vulnerable situations and comply with interventions. This individualising logic of vulnerability has solidified policy interventions towards Māori, and re-emphasised colonial practices of viewing Māori children and young people as deficit-laden risks to be managed. With a late 2017 change in government, the political dalliance with vulnerability appears to be in decline. A new progressive policy discourse – of child ‘well-being’ and ‘best interests’ – is being engaged. Yet, the emphasis on risk, and its corresponding elements of pre-emption and responsibility, persist. These discursive and institutional arrangements will ensure that Māori remain perilously entrenched in welfare and justice systems.

“It made me feel like a shit parent”: an intersectional analysis of pandemic mothering

“…While Mila, Narla and Beth each had difficulty accessing mental health support, it was only the Māori-Pacific mother (Narla) whose difficulties led to surveillance by the State (CYFs), with the ever-present threat of having her children removed from her care. As Stanley and de Froideville ( 2020 ) explain, discursive and institutional arrangements, and political and policy priorities, toward families in Aotearoa have long emphasized racialized risk and vulnerability, thus “re-emphasis[ing] colonial practices of viewing Māori children and young people as deficit-laden risks to be managed”, thus rendering Māori families as “perilously entrenched in welfare and justice systems” (526). In this context, not only did Māori mothers find it more challenging to access mental health support, but previous experiences of racial discrimination within the health and social services negatively impacted their willingness to express vulnerabilities and seek help.…”

Problematizing Child Maltreatment: Learning from New Zealand’s Policies

“…The main function of the vulnerability discourse was to identify and control risk that may cause future liabilities (Hyslop 2022;Stanley and de Froideville 2020). The core notion in the White Paper was that vulnerable children should be identified as early as possible and effective interventions made to prevent future harm and cost.…”

I don't know you, Random Man: Adolescent female perceptions of procedural justice during police contact

“…It has been found that police target certain groups of people disproportionately, in accordance with in-group bias (Gau & Brunson, 2010;McAra & McVie, 2005). In NZ, labelling young people and families as vulnerable has been an identifying factor for targeting and stigmatisation in punitive measures (Stanley & Monod de Froideville, 2020). Factors such as socioeconomic status and race consistently equate to unjustified police scrutiny (Cherney & Murphy, 2011;Gau & Brunson, 2010;Horyniak et al, 2017).…”