Sam Ewing

While attending the George Abbott Symposium that was combined this year with the SYHPANZ Youth Health Conference, I had the absolute pleasure of interviewing the Chief Children’s Commissioner of Aotearoa, Dr Claire Achmad. I had been privileged enough to already meet Claire through my health centre and then again earlier this year at a young people’s Tuhono in celebration of Youth Week, and these experiences with Claire have truly filled me with hope for our future within higher levels of governing and power. I sat down with her to discuss her aspirations for the role of Children’s Commissioner.

I first wanted to know what Claire personally wanted to see for the role of Children’s Commissioner. Claire noted that her most significant goal that over-arches any personal plans was to “apply the knowledge and the expertise and the experiences that I’ve built out in children’s rights, children’s law, policy practice and my previous experiences of working with young people”. She wants to bring her knowledge and apply that for the benefit of Aotearoa’s young people and children. “ … you are appointed to be in service of mokopuna, of children and young people” she shared.

 Claire then explained she ensures that she is forever in the service of mokopuna by working with the lived experience of young people.  “Every single time that I’m advocating, I will do that grounded in the lived experience, the direct views of young people, and grounded in the evidence and research that shows us, because that is how we can have the most credible and powerful advocacy for young people”.

Claire also shared that she wants to advocate both for and with children and has a focus on groups of mokopuna who are experiencing a particular disadvantage in Aotearoa. [“Māori], Pacific, whaikaha, rainbow, resettled, all of the evidence shows that far too often these are the mokopuna we are letting down”.

Those goals have not changed for Claire as her first 8 months in the role have unfolded rather “crystalising” them as she worded it. 

“The first thing I would say is that my resolve around those and my commitment to those goals has just deepened even more. Instead of evolving the goals, it’s been more about crystalising those goals into a tangible strategy that we can take forward”.

I am particularly interested in School-Based Health Services through my involvement in Māngai Whakatipu so I asked what she believed her role could do for the improvement of school-based health services, and her response aligned with the voices of young people.

“We need to see more…” She also shared her concerns, ”I’m concerned that we don’t have the level of school-based health services that we need, and in some instances, they’re being taken away. I also see SBHS as quite holistic, as well… think about the nurse and the counsellors, but think about other allied professionals, such as social workers in schools…we can meet children and young people where they are at, in their space.  With all this evidence, I see them as a no-brainer”.

Claire then wrapped up our interview with a hopeful but realistic personal goal for herself to uphold over her time in the role regarding the huge potential every child has. 

“I want people to get on board with me, as a movement of actually valuing, respecting, and journeying alongside young people, as their champions.

So many young people are already being the leaders of this country, within so many lenses, but also I want to remind people that children have the right to be children…enjoy their childhood, to grow…they should get to be young people, in all the wonderfulness it brings, to enjoy their adolescents, because it is fleeting, it is really precious”. 

Finally she added, “…in five years time, I want to be able to look back and think, yeah, I’ve contributed something to get us on that trajectory… for Māori, Pacific, Whaikaha, rainbow. I want them to be safe while being who they are. For our mokopuna Māori, I really want to see the promise of Te Tiriti o Waitangi in action for those mokopuna and their whānau.

After listening to the goals and aspirations Claire holds as the Chief Children’s Commissioner I cannot help but feel deeply hopeful for my future. And I know Claire will do every single thing in her power to create action in these spaces, which need them the most.

For Rangatahi, with Rangatahi. 

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I am entirely grateful for the opportunities I have been given, and the privilege I hold to be able to enter these spaces with such influential people, such as Claire. I would also like to quickly thank Amataga, Te Arohanui, Te Whetu, Deb, Jan, Danielle and of course, Dr Achmad for all of the support, opportunities, and listening ears.