[6][7][8] The Government's Oranga Tamariki Oversight Bill passed its first reading on 16 November 2021 by a margin of 108 to 12 votes.

While Labour supported the Oranga Tamariki System Oversight Bill, the National, ACT, and Green parties objected to the bill, citing the large number of opposing submissions and urging the Government to wait until the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in Care had concluded its hearings.

In June 2022, the select committee recommended the bill but made several recommendations including incorporating references to the Treaty of Waitangi, defining "care or custody providers," strengthening the independent monitor's role, and creating the position of Chief Children's Commissioner to head the Children and Young People's Commission.

[10] In response, Children's Commissioner Judge Frances Eivers criticised the select committee for proceeding with the legislation without waiting for the Royal Commission to conclude its hearings.

[12] In addition, Eivers, several children's advocates including Child Matters, Save the Children, and Social Justice Aotearoa, and the human rights organisations Amnesty International and the Human Rights Commission voiced opposition to the Government's reforms of the Oranga Tamariki oversight system.