Claire Achmad on unfinished business as Children’s Commissioner, Jane Searle outlines frontline focus

Former Children’s Commissioner Claire Achmad says she is leaving the role with “unfinished business” after her term was cut short by two-and-a-half years.

“I really wanted to see that initial five-year term through. There was much more I wanted to contribute for our nation’s children and young people.”

She was appointed Chief Children’s Commissioner in 2023, becoming one of five commissioners on the Children and Young People’s Commission.

But the Government abolished the commission last year to fulfil its coalition agreement – returning the role to a sole commissioner model.

At the time, Social Development Minister Louise Upston said it makes clear to young people who their advocate is.

After unsuccessfully applying to continue, Achmad was replaced by Jane Searle this month.

Achmad said she had “not been given any specific reason as to why I wasn’t reappointed”, something she described as “really disappointing”.

A petition by youth advocates called for her to be reappointed.

Achmad said that campaign came as a surprise.

“What it indicates to me is how important the role of Children’s Commissioner is to young people.”

“It’s an example of them stepping into these spaces of advocacy to remind the adults, ‘hey, we have important views on issues that directly affect us and we should have a say.’”

While disappointed to be leaving, Achmad said her commitment to young people remained unchanged.

“My purpose has always been about something bigger than a specific role title.”

“There’s a lot of unfinished work,” Achmad said, and “it’s absolutely urgent”.

She hopes children’s voices would remain at the heart of the commission’s work.

“I was very intentional about creating spaces for children and young people to see that they do belong in the places where big system level decisions are made that affect their lives.”

She often took children to speak alongside her in Parliament or at conferences and hopes that continues.

Searle said she was “very proud” to continue the work of previous commissioners like Achmad.

“It’s passing the baton on but the issues are the same. These aren’t new to us.”

“Every commissioner brings their own background to the role and probably have their own way of doing things, but I think collectively these are the same issues we’ve been advocating on.”

Who is Jane Searle?

Searle stepped into the role, after a career as a lawyer, child abuse detective and most recently, chief executive of child protection charity Child Matters.

“There’s no doubt that my background has shaped me and my approach,” Searle said.

“I’ve seen the systems and how they interact with children and young people in a really transactional way.”

“I’ve seen what it’s like for those children to be in those systems where huge decisions are being made about their lives and I’ve seen the gaps and then the consequences of that which are huge.”

She said one in seven (14.3%) of New Zealand tamariki, or about 170,000 children, are living in material hardship – meaning their families regularly go without seven or more basic daily essentials like fresh food, proper heating, or doctor visits.

Achmad said that’s 47,500 more children in material hardship than in 2022.

“These statistics are confronting, and we should be confronted,” Searle said.

She said a key priority will be improving co-ordination between government agencies.

“That’s across health, education, the child protection system, how the police interact with young people and the justice system,” Searle said.

The commissioner is committed to ensuring frontline workers have a seat at the table.

Searle said government policy has often been out of step with the realities faced by those working directly with vulnerable children.

“What we implement for policy might not work at the front line – and I’ve seen that happen many times in my career,” Searle said.

When systems fail to reflect reality, she said organisations and workers “lose trust” and become “disengaged”.
“This has been a problem for years,” Searle said, “and it’s going to take years for us to build that structure well, because if we don’t, the consequences are huge.”

“I simply don’t believe that New Zealand cannot lead the world in these solutions.”

A major part of her vision is shifting the focus to prevention rather than crisis response.

“That’s identifying risk and vulnerability early rather than waiting for things to progress to a point where a child might end up in the care and protection system,” Searle said.

“There’s a whole story before that child ended up in that system. We need to work out what gaps we missed.”

An election priority

With the election approaching, both Searle and Achmad said children and young people should be at the centre of national priorities.

“I don’t think we as a country have enough of a focus on the wellbeing and safety of our children and young people,” Searle said.

“That is the best investment we can make.”

“We can focus on so many different issues, but they all impact children,” Searle said.

“In an election year, it’s important we hold politicians to account for what we want, and advocate for the communities that we’re in.”

Achmad echoed this, “I hope that people vote with our nation’s children in mind.”

Searle said her ultimate goal is straightforward: ensuring every child has the opportunity to thrive.

“The vision is for every young person to grow up safe, nurtured, and able to reach their full potential,” Searle said.

“If we get that wrong, the effects go for generations.”

Rosie Leishman is a reporter and multimedia journalist based in Ōtautahi, Christchurch. She joined Newstalk ZB in 2025, after experience working at the Bangkok Post in Thailand.