High Court judge criticises Oranga Tamariki, awards $108,000 to former foster parents

Oranga Tamariki has been ordered to pay over $100,000 in legal costs due to its unsuccessful attempt to remove a Māori child, referred to as “Moana,” from her Pākehā foster parents, which Justice Helen Cull criticized as an ‘egregious’ campaign to discredit the couple. The costs stem from a High Court ruling regarding the child’s long-term care after being placed with the Smiths in 2018.

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