Oranga Tamariki faces serious privacy breaches in New Zealand

A recent report has revealed serious privacy breaches at Oranga Tamariki, New Zealand's Ministry for Children. The report highlights 35 significant breaches involving unauthorized access to sensitive data. One troubling incident involved a staff member who shared a mother's file with her child's father. This act led to further abuse of the mother. The review also details eight other similar cases where personal information was improperly accessed and shared. These actions put children and others at serious risk of physical harm. In some instances, that harm actually happened. The 67-page report emphasizes that the ministry had a relaxed approach toward handling sensitive data of children and their families. In response to these findings, Oranga Tamariki has created a privacy improvement plan. They have appointed Philip Grady as the new chief privacy officer to address these issues moving forward.