Nobody wants to see babies uplifted, says Children's Minister Tracey Martin as her department Oranga Tamariki faces multiple inquiries into the number of babies being taken from their families.
The probes were launched in the wake of a Newsroom documentary showing a newborn being removed from her mother at Hawke's Bay Hospital in May.
On TVNZ1's Q+A, Ms Martin said her responsibility as Minister keeps her up at night.
"I have a board in my office, and on that board, every time a child dies at the hands of somebody who should have cared for them, I place another marker on that board.
"It is with me every single day, the purpose of what I’m trying to do here."
"This is real children with real lives... Nobody wants to see babies uplifted, but a baby can die with a single punch.
Ms Martin said Oranga Tamaraki can move in "very, very quickly because there is concern for that child’s wellbeing".
She said some social workers needed to "work differently", which could be achieved by changing the Oranga Tamaraki system.
"Those who can’t change need to move on."
Dr Emily Keddell, of the University of Otago Social and Community Work Programme, said there has been a 33 per cent increase in babies removed from families within three months of birth between 2015 and 2018.
The statistics weren't related to an increase in birth, she said, but purely an increase in the rate of Māori babies entering state care.
Q+A is on TVNZ1 on Mondays at 9.30pm, and the episode is then available on TVNZ OnDemand and as a podcast in all the usual places.
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