“This initiative reflects our unwavering commitment to learning from past failures and restoring trust in the care system. The unit will operate independently to ensure that any investigation is separate from Oranga Tamariki’s day-to-day operations and focused on the best interests of children.”

The unit’s main goals include conducting “rigorous and transparent investigations into cases where the care provided to a child by the state has caused harm”, identifying “systemic failures to reform at Oranga Tamariki”, giving a voice to survivors and promoting accountability.

Oranga Tamariki has been heavily criticized for failings in its processes. The Chief Ombudsman last month highlighted a case where the agency failed to properly investigate reports of violence against children of preschool and primary school age.

The Royal Commission of Inquiry looked at abuse in institutions between 1950 and 1999 and found that many failed in their duty to protect children.

It included a boot camp program on Great Barrier Island where children endured “cruel and inhumane treatment”. One of the failures identified in the report was that the state did not adequately monitor the program or respond properly to complaints.

Chhour is creating one of his own military academies for serious juvenile offenders through legislation that passed its first reading Thursday. The the proposal has been criticized as not evidence-based, with concerns about the use of force increasing and what have been perceived as parallels with previous boot camps.

The the minister told the Herald on Thursday there were significant differences, including that the staff would be well vetted and trained. There was also greater oversight now, she said, with the Children’s Commission and local mana when they could visit juvenile justice facilities.

“I would never put young people in a position where I thought they wouldn’t have a voice if something happened to them,” she said.

The new Child Protection Investigation Unit will be set up by independent experts led by Janis Adair, the current chief inspector of the inspectorate’s office which independently oversees prisons. Details of the device will be worked out over the rest of the year before it enters service in early 2025.

Jamie Ensor is a political reporter in the NZ Herald Press gallery team based at Parliament. He was previously a TV reporter and digital producer in the Newshub Press Gallery office.