REVEALED: Oranga Tamariki Has 815 More Staff Than Children In Care

The New Zealand Taxpayers’ Union can reveal that Oranga Tamariki has 815 more staff than children in care, with 4,822.4 FTE staff and 135 contractors, compared to 4,142 children in care.

The Official Information Act request also shows:

• In December 2025, 32 children aged 6 to 16 were not enrolled in a school, while 510 records could not be matched to a school enrolment.
• In 2025 there were also 995 missing instances lasting at least 48 hours, involving 414 children in care.

Taxpayers’ Union Investigative Lead, Rhys Hurley, said:

“OT now has more staff and contractors than children in care. That is 1,512 more staff than in 2017, yet vulnerable kids are still going missing and falling through the cracks.”

“When an agency has 815 more staff and contractors than kids in care, taxpayers are right to ask what all those people are actually doing.”

“With 1.2 staff for every child in care, there is no excuse for children going missing for days or not being enrolled in school. Keeping these kids safe and in education is the bare minimum.”

“The answer cannot always be more money, more staff, and more bureaucracy. At some point, taxpayers need to ask whether this agency is actually focused on children or growing the bureaucracy around them.”