1 00:00:00,080 --> 00:00:02,480 Speaker 1: After four years in the care of their father. Tom 2 00:00:02,480 --> 00:00:04,559 Speaker 1: Phillips's children are now in the care of ordering A 3 00:00:04,600 --> 00:00:08,639 Speaker 1: Tamaitiki udo on A Tamidike's Waikator Regional Commissioner Warwick Morte, 4 00:00:08,680 --> 00:00:10,520 Speaker 1: who gave an update on their situation today. 5 00:00:10,640 --> 00:00:13,200 Speaker 2: I want to assure the community here in Waikattle and 6 00:00:13,280 --> 00:00:16,200 Speaker 2: also the White Republic of New Zealand, that my team 7 00:00:16,400 --> 00:00:18,919 Speaker 2: in this region have been planning and preparing for the 8 00:00:18,960 --> 00:00:21,680 Speaker 2: return of these Tomini key from when they went missing. 9 00:00:22,760 --> 00:00:25,600 Speaker 1: Karen Sure is the Children's Minister and with us right now. 10 00:00:25,600 --> 00:00:28,360 Speaker 3: Ha Karen Hey, thanks for having me. 11 00:00:28,480 --> 00:00:30,200 Speaker 1: Karen, thank you for joining us. How are the kids 12 00:00:30,200 --> 00:00:31,920 Speaker 1: are they? Are they doing things that you would expect 13 00:00:32,000 --> 00:00:33,160 Speaker 1: kids of their age to be doing. 14 00:00:34,200 --> 00:00:37,240 Speaker 3: Look, I'm not actually on site and haven't seen or 15 00:00:37,280 --> 00:00:41,239 Speaker 3: spoken to these children, but my understanding is that they're 16 00:00:41,280 --> 00:00:45,800 Speaker 3: doing well under the circumstances. We have staff that are 17 00:00:45,840 --> 00:00:49,440 Speaker 3: currently supporting them and making sure that they're getting everything 18 00:00:49,520 --> 00:00:53,800 Speaker 3: they need at this stage and making a plan of 19 00:00:53,920 --> 00:00:55,640 Speaker 3: what to do moving forward. 20 00:00:56,880 --> 00:00:59,560 Speaker 1: How do you have any idea yet when it is 21 00:00:59,600 --> 00:01:02,600 Speaker 1: that they will be allowed to see their mother and 22 00:01:02,720 --> 00:01:04,440 Speaker 1: siblings and grandparents. 23 00:01:05,520 --> 00:01:07,880 Speaker 3: So I'm going to be very careful because I'm constrained 24 00:01:07,920 --> 00:01:10,280 Speaker 3: by the amount of information I can share. But what 25 00:01:10,319 --> 00:01:13,000 Speaker 3: I would say is, the Family Court are actively managing 26 00:01:13,000 --> 00:01:17,640 Speaker 3: this case now, and we as an organization and as government, 27 00:01:17,680 --> 00:01:21,000 Speaker 3: will comply with whatever directions the Family Court give us. 28 00:01:21,760 --> 00:01:24,399 Speaker 3: But this will not stop us from making sure that 29 00:01:24,560 --> 00:01:28,200 Speaker 3: across the children's system that we put in places at 30 00:01:28,319 --> 00:01:31,319 Speaker 3: the supports that these kids need for as long as 31 00:01:31,319 --> 00:01:31,760 Speaker 3: they need. 32 00:01:32,080 --> 00:01:33,960 Speaker 1: Do you imagine that there will be a custody battle? 33 00:01:34,000 --> 00:01:35,560 Speaker 1: Is that a possibility? 34 00:01:36,080 --> 00:01:41,520 Speaker 3: I mean, anything's a possibility. I can't control what people 35 00:01:41,959 --> 00:01:45,039 Speaker 3: will do in the future when it comes to custody disputes, 36 00:01:45,360 --> 00:01:47,520 Speaker 3: But what I would say is our focus needs to 37 00:01:47,560 --> 00:01:50,640 Speaker 3: be on the healing of these kids, their safety and 38 00:01:50,680 --> 00:01:54,400 Speaker 3: their well being, and making the right decision for the children, 39 00:01:55,440 --> 00:01:57,280 Speaker 3: not the organizations or the adults. 40 00:01:57,880 --> 00:02:00,120 Speaker 1: Will you impose the will you oppose the injunction and 41 00:02:00,160 --> 00:02:01,080 Speaker 1: in court on Thursday. 42 00:02:02,600 --> 00:02:06,560 Speaker 3: Look, that's something that I can't really comment to. But 43 00:02:06,680 --> 00:02:09,040 Speaker 3: what I would say is, once I can share the information, 44 00:02:09,120 --> 00:02:11,320 Speaker 3: I'd be happy to come back and have another conversation. 45 00:02:11,600 --> 00:02:16,040 Speaker 1: Okay, Obviously the best thing for these children is that 46 00:02:16,360 --> 00:02:18,920 Speaker 1: we the rest of us in the public kind of 47 00:02:18,919 --> 00:02:20,880 Speaker 1: lose an interest in them and just allow them to 48 00:02:20,880 --> 00:02:23,960 Speaker 1: get on with growing up and healing up. How do 49 00:02:24,000 --> 00:02:25,720 Speaker 1: you write the chances that we can actually do that? 50 00:02:27,680 --> 00:02:30,280 Speaker 3: Look, I mean we have to make sure that that 51 00:02:30,480 --> 00:02:33,840 Speaker 3: these young people are at the forefront of our minds. 52 00:02:34,720 --> 00:02:38,720 Speaker 3: We have been as an organization, Audungu Tamitiki has been 53 00:02:38,720 --> 00:02:41,639 Speaker 3: working on a plan since since the day they disappeared. 54 00:02:42,680 --> 00:02:46,040 Speaker 3: That plan may have to change depending on the circumstances 55 00:02:46,080 --> 00:02:48,320 Speaker 3: of the young people once we have a conversation and 56 00:02:48,360 --> 00:02:53,000 Speaker 3: assess what their needs are. But we are joined up 57 00:02:53,240 --> 00:02:56,160 Speaker 3: with all agencies across the children's system to make sure 58 00:02:56,680 --> 00:02:59,600 Speaker 3: that they're not forgotten and that they are given the 59 00:02:59,680 --> 00:03:01,560 Speaker 3: care that they need, and they're going to need a 60 00:03:01,560 --> 00:03:02,040 Speaker 3: lot of care. 61 00:03:02,320 --> 00:03:04,320 Speaker 1: Yeah, I'm going to talk to the huddle about this 62 00:03:04,360 --> 00:03:06,080 Speaker 1: in just a text or what you'll take on it. 63 00:03:06,120 --> 00:03:08,679 Speaker 1: Do you think that that documentary that the police are 64 00:03:09,440 --> 00:03:10,839 Speaker 1: facilitating should go to air? 65 00:03:12,800 --> 00:03:15,480 Speaker 3: I'm unsure of what you're speaking to right now. In 66 00:03:15,520 --> 00:03:19,639 Speaker 3: my apologies, I don't know what documentary your speak. 67 00:03:19,720 --> 00:03:22,240 Speaker 1: There is a documentary being made by Julia Christi which 68 00:03:22,240 --> 00:03:24,760 Speaker 1: has behind the scenes access of the search and has 69 00:03:24,800 --> 00:03:28,480 Speaker 1: presumably been filmed for some time now. The concern that 70 00:03:28,520 --> 00:03:30,880 Speaker 1: I have about it is the interest that we have 71 00:03:30,919 --> 00:03:33,320 Speaker 1: at the moment is fair enough. But for a documentary 72 00:03:33,320 --> 00:03:34,960 Speaker 1: to pop up in a couple of years, five years, 73 00:03:34,960 --> 00:03:36,800 Speaker 1: ten years and reach this all up again does not 74 00:03:36,840 --> 00:03:38,200 Speaker 1: feel to me to be the best thing in the 75 00:03:38,200 --> 00:03:39,160 Speaker 1: interests of the children. 76 00:03:40,520 --> 00:03:43,680 Speaker 3: Yeah, I wouldn't think so ever. I think when it 77 00:03:43,760 --> 00:03:46,320 Speaker 3: needs to be taken into account the mental well being 78 00:03:46,440 --> 00:03:49,200 Speaker 3: also of these young people, and this is going to 79 00:03:49,240 --> 00:03:54,080 Speaker 3: be an ongoing issue for them for many years to come, 80 00:03:54,640 --> 00:03:57,360 Speaker 3: and I would hope that anybody that's putting a documentary 81 00:03:57,360 --> 00:04:02,000 Speaker 3: of that coin out would take these children's views into consideration. 82 00:04:02,400 --> 00:04:03,920 Speaker 1: Karen listen, Thanks very much, and we may talk to 83 00:04:03,960 --> 00:04:06,120 Speaker 1: you again in the near future. Careen's your Children's Minister. 84 00:04:06,760 --> 00:04:09,960 Speaker 3: For more from Hither Duplessy Allen Drive, listen live to 85 00:04:10,040 --> 00:04:10,560 Speaker 3: news talks. 86 00:04:10,600 --> 00:04:13,800 Speaker 2: It'd be from four pm weekdays, or follow the podcast 87 00:04:13,880 --> 00:04:14,880 Speaker 2: on iHeartRadio.