Mana Mokopuna - Children and Young People's Commission

What Mana Mokopuna - Children and Young People's Commission does

Mana Mokopuna – Children and Young People's Commission is an Independent Crown Entity established under the Children and Young People's Commission Act 2022, operating as the sole statutory independent advocate for all mokopuna (children and young people under 18) in Aotearoa New Zealand and for those under 25 who have been in State care and/or custody. The organisation is headquartered in Wellington, employs approximately 25 staff, and is led by a single Children's Commissioner — a role currently held by Dr Claire Achmad until 31 July 2026, following the August 2025 transition from a multi-member board model. Its core service lines comprise independent advocacy, OPCAT monitoring of places where children are deprived of liberty (youth justice residences, care and protection residences, remand homes, and adolescent inpatient units), publication of reports and submissions, a free public helpline (0800 224 453), and educational resources including child-friendly UN Convention on the Rights of the Child materials in English and te reo Māori. The Children's Commissioner also serves as the National Preventive Mechanism (NPM) spokesperson, providing OPCAT monitoring across New Zealand's detention and care estate.

The organisation is embedded in a threefold oversight structure for the Oranga Tamariki system alongside Aroturuki Tamariki (Independent Children's Monitor) and the Office of the Ombudsman, and convenes the Children's Convention Monitoring Group (CMG) with permanent members including UNICEF Aotearoa, Save the Children NZ, Te Kāhui Tika Tangata Human Rights Commission, and Children's Rights Alliance Aotearoa New Zealand. It also partners with iwi and community organisations (e.g., Ngāpuhi Iwi Social Services, ĀKAU Foundation) on mokopuna-focused events such as the Waitangi Festival, and operates national campaigns including 'Dear Children' on child maltreatment.

Mana Mokopuna does not generate commercial revenue and does not sell products or services. Its operations are funded entirely through New Zealand Government appropriations under the Crown Entities Act 2004. Revenue figures are not publicly disclosed in the source material. The organisation is not privately owned; it is a statutory body of the New Zealand Government and has no subsidiaries. Pricing is not applicable — all advocacy, monitoring, advisory, and educational services are provided free of charge to children, families, whānau, and the public.

Name

Mana Mokopuna - Children and Young People's Commission

Legal name

Mana Mokopuna - Children and Young People's Commission

Website

https://manamokopuna.org.nz

Company type

Private

Founded year

2022

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Mana Mokopuna is an Independent Crown Entity and the statutory independent advocate for all children and young people in Aotearoa New Zealand. It provides advocacy, OPCAT monitoring of care and youth justice facilities, public reports, and a free helpline, funded by government appropriations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Children's Rights Advocacy and Statutory Oversight

NAICS

Child and Youth Services (62411), Child and Youth Services (624110), Justice, Public Order, and Safety Activities (922), Public Administration (92)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Child Rights & Protection (BPADAGAG)

akta.pro secondary industries

Human Rights, Democracy & Rule of Law IGOs (BPADAAAG), Juvenile Justice System (Courts & Detention) (BPAIAFAF)

Keywords

• Children's rights advocacy
• Statutory child advocacy
• OPCAT monitoring
• Child welfare oversight
• Independent monitoring

Headquarters

HQ city

Wellington

HQ country

New Zealand

HQ region

Oceania

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Others

Revenue model

1. Government funding: Mana Mokopuna operates as an Independent Crown Entity under the Children's Commissioner Act 2022 and Crown Entities Act 2004. It is funded through government appropriations to fulfil its statutory mandate as the independent advocate for children and young people in Aotearoa New Zealand.

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Mana Mokopuna is the Independent Crown Entity established under the Children and Young People's Commission Act 2022 to serve as the statutory independent advocate for all children and young people under 18 in Aotearoa New Zealand, and for those under 25 who have been in State care. It delivers advocacy, OPCAT monitoring of places where children are deprived of liberty, a free Help and Advice helpline, policy submissions, and educational resources on children's rights, operating alongside Aroturuki Tamariki and the Ombudsman in the threefold oversight of the Oranga Tamariki system.

Product overview

Mana Mokopuna - Children and Young People's Commission is an independent Crown entity that serves as the independent advocate for all children in Aotearoa New Zealand (under 18 years old) and children and young people under 25 who have been in care and/or custody. The organization does not offer a traditional tech product but provides advocacy, monitoring, and support services through publications (reports, submissions, media releases), the Dear Children campaign, OPCAT monitoring, a help and advice hotline, and educational resources including UN Convention on the Rights of the Child materials. The core offering is advocacy services rather than a technology product.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Children's Convention Monitoring Group (CMG): A monitoring group brought together by Mana Mokopuna to monitor New Zealand's implementation of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. Permanent members include Children's Rights Alliance Aotearoa New Zealand, Te Kāhui Tika Tangata Human Rights Commission, Save the Children New Zealand, and UNICEF Aotearoa.
• Dear Children Campaign
• UNCROC Resources

Products and services

• Help and Advice Service A free helpline and advisory service (0800 224 453) providing advice and support to children, young people, and their families/whānau on children's rights and wellbeing concerns in Aotearoa New Zealand.
• OPCAT Monitoring Statutory monitoring of places where children and young people are deprived of liberty — including care and protection residences, youth justice facilities, and hospitals — conducted under the Optional Protocol to the Convention Against Torture (OPCAT) as New Zealand's National Preventive Mechanism.
• Children's Convention Monitoring Group (CMG) Reports Quarterly reports published to highlight current and emerging children's rights issues in Aotearoa New Zealand, monitoring government implementation of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, produced in collaboration with CMG member organisations.
• UN Convention on the Rights of the Child Resources Child-friendly resources explaining children's rights under the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, available in English and te reo Māori, including posters and downloadable booklets for children and young people.

Quantifiable outcome

• 530 children in State care found to have been abused or neglected in the 12 months to March 2025 (increase of 23 from previous year)
• +2 more outcomes

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and flagship.

• Aroturuki Tamariki – Independent Children's MonitorcoreOthersAroturuki Tamariki is one of three oversight bodies for the Oranga Tamariki system. The organisations work together to check that law is being applied correctly, services are delivered effectively, and outcomes are improving for tamariki and rangatahi. Joint statements are issued on key monitoring findings, including safety of children in care.
• Office of the OmbudsmancoreOthersThe Ombudsman is the third agency in the threefold oversight structure of the Oranga Tamariki system, focusing on receiving and investigating complaints from children and young people (and their whānau) about decisions and actions affecting them.
• Children's Convention Monitoring Group (CMG)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe CMG is convened by Mana Mokopuna – Children's Commissioner and brings together Children's Rights Alliance Aotearoa New Zealand, Te Kāhui Tika Tangata Human Rights Commission, Save the Children New Zealand, and UNICEF Aotearoa. It publishes quarterly reports on children's rights and coordinates monitoring of NZ's implementation of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child.
• Children's Rights Alliance Aotearoa New ZealandcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPermanent member of the Children's Convention Monitoring Group (CMG), contributing to quarterly monitoring reports on NZ's compliance with the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child.
• Te Kāhui Tika Tangata Human Rights CommissioncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPermanent CMG member; also serves as the coordinating body for the National Preventive Mechanism (NPM) under OPCAT. Dr Claire Achmad (Children's Commissioner) serves as NPM spokesperson. The NPM monitors places where people are deprived of liberty, including youth justice and care residences.
• Save the Children New ZealandcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPermanent CMG member contributing child rights research and advocacy. Save the Children NZ also co-authored the joint CMG resource 'Making the online world safe for children'.
• UNICEF AotearoacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPermanent CMG member contributing international child rights perspectives and research, including data from UNICEF Innocenti reports on child wellbeing.
• Ngāpuhi Iwi Social Services (NISS)flagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerNISS is one of the first established Iwi Social Service providers in Aotearoa with 30+ years of experience working with mokopuna and whānau. Mana Mokopuna collaborates with NISS at the annual Waitangi Festival to create a mokopuna-focused space and amplify Māori children's voices.
• ĀKAU FoundationflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerA community design studio whose mission is to Build Creative Leaders Who Design Brighter Futures for taitamariki in Te Tai Tokerau. Mana Mokopuna collaborates with ĀKAU and NISS at Waitangi Festival, where ĀKAU creates the 'Papamīharo' creative space for mokopuna.
• Oranga Tamariki (Ministry for Children)coreOthersOranga Tamariki is the central government ministry for which Mana Mokopuna exercises independent oversight and advocacy. The Commissioner advocates for the rights of children in Oranga Tamariki's care and publishes OPCAT monitoring reports on residences and care settings.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Children and Young People's Commissioner Scotland (CYPCS): Independent statutory commissioner promoting and safeguarding the rights of children and young people in Scotland. Near-identical mandate and governance structure, and the closest UK analogue to Mana Mokopuna.
• Te Kāhui Tika Tangata – Human Rights Commission: A permanent CMG member and the coordinating body for the National Preventive Mechanism under OPCAT. Comparable as a New Zealand statutory human rights body with overlapping NPM functions and human-mandate advocacy.
• Save the Children New Zealand: Permanent CMG member and co-author of joint child rights resources. Comparable as a non-governmental child-rights advocacy organisation operating in the same New Zealand policy space.
• Aroturuki Tamariki – Independent Children's Monitor: The second of the three statutorily independent oversight bodies for the Oranga Tamariki system in Aotearoa New Zealand. Directly comparable as a sibling Crown Entity charged with monitoring and reporting on the wellbeing of children in State care.
• Children's Rights Alliance Aotearoa: Permanent CMG member focused on UN CRC monitoring. Closely comparable as a New Zealand NGO working in the same children's rights advocacy and monitoring space.
• Office of the Ombudsman (New Zealand): The third oversight body in the Oranga Tamariki statutory framework, responsible for receiving and investigating complaints from children and young people about State decisions. Directly comparable as a Crown Entity with shared mandate and partnership structure.
• UNICEF Aotearoa: Permanent CMG member providing international child rights research, including UNICEF Innocenti data cited in Mana Mokopuna's advocacy. Closely comparable as a child-rights monitor operating in the same jurisdiction and policy ecosystem.

Broad incumbents

• Australian Human Rights Commission – Children and Young People portfolio: The Australian national human rights institution with statutory functions intersecting children's rights and parallel inquiries. Comparable as a statutory rights-monitoring body in a similar Westminster-style jurisdiction.
• Office of the Children's Commissioner (England): An independent statutory office with a national mandate to promote and protect the rights of children in England. Closely comparable in role, statutory structure, and UNCRC-based advocacy, with broader policy reach due to scale.

Others

• Office of the Privacy Commissioner (New Zealand): An independent Crown Entity with a thematic but non-overlapping mandate. Comparable as a small New Zealand statutory oversight body with similar governance structure, appropriations model, and Independent Crown Entity status.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/mana-mokopuna-children-and-young-people-s-commission

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Mana Mokopuna - Children and Young People's Commission