Psychologist quits MSA pilot after two months, undermining Cabinet-approved model

Oranga Tamariki's Military-Style Academy pilot lost its psychologist after two months, according to a 2024 review. Cabinet had approved a staffing model explicitly including psychological support when greenlighting the pilot in June 2024. The programme ran July 2024 to July 2025. The early departure matters because the MSA model's clinical foundation depends on embedded psychological support for young people with complex trauma histories in a high-structure environment.