Government approves $68m to upgrade Oranga Tamariki's outdated child records system

Cabinet has approved $68m to start replacing Oranga Tamariki's 25-year-old system for tracking children's cases. A design contract is expected next month. Later stages have no funding yet, and a 2024 Cabinet paper warned the agency cannot cover extra costs without affecting services to children. Budget 2026 gave the agency $180m but none for technology.