Oranga Tamariki is looking into whether there could have been interventions before toddler Ruthless-Empire was killed after it emerged the toddler was in the agency’s case management system.

Chief executive Chappie Te Kani told the Herald on Tuesday Ruthless-Empire Ahipene-Wall, had not been in Oranga Tamariki custody or care at the time of his death.

The agency later confirmed the toddler did have an ID number in their case management system. Chief Social Worker Peter Whitcombe told Newstalk ZB he was unable to comment on the case.

“[An ID number] is generated every time what is called a report of concern is made to Oranga Tamariki, or it could be simple as just someone contacting us about a worry that they had for a child that doesn’t end up being a report of concern.”

Te Kani said the agency was “actively working” alongside partner agencies to “piece together what, if any, support Baby Ru and his whānau were receiving at the time of his death, and if interventions could have occurred.”

Te Kani said in 2022/23 Oranga Tamariki received 71,616 reports of concern (ROCs) of which 38,727 assessments and investigations were carried out (and 6591 Care and Protection Family Group Conferences were undertaken).

“He was an innocent child who should’ve been safe and loved, and should not have died as he did," police Detective Inspector Nick Pritchard said. Photo / Ngatanahira Reremoana

“Understanding those things that create risk or that are protective for tamariki is complex and different within each family. Our social workers work hard with our partner agencies and communities to understand these factors, and while not everything can be predicted, we do an important job of understanding and responding in the right ways.”

Oranga Tamariki’s legislative role was to monitor and assess the effectiveness of services provided to children by the department, groups and organisations.

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“The way that Oranga Tamariki collects and manages data, and the way we report on the children that come to our attention or in our care needs to change and evolve.”

Oranga Tamariki would continue to work with and alongside other agencies to fill the current gaps in the system.

“Focusing on ensuring that we can collect data to learn and improve how we collectively care for and protect tamariki growing up in Aotearoa New Zealand,” Te Kani said.

The Poole Street house in Taita, Lower Hutt, where baby Ruthless-Empire lived with three adults, Rosie Morunga (top left), Dylan Ross, and Storm Wall, his mother. Photo / Mark Mitchell

Oranga Tamariki would not respond to questions about two adults living in the house with Ruthless-Empire and his mother at the time of his death, citing privacy reasons.

The Herald yesterday revealed the three people living at the Taita, Lower Hutt house were Ruthless-Empire’s mother, Storm Angel Wall, as well as Rosie Morunga and her partner Dylan Ross.

All three had been staying at the house when Ruthless-Empire suffered fatal injuries from blunt force trauma, sometime between 21 and 22 October.

The almost-2-year-old was taken, unresponsive, to Hutt Hospital on October 22, up to 12 hours after receiving the severe injuries. He was unable to be saved.

Police initially said his death was “unexplained”, but soon updated the case to a homicide inquiry, noting they had three people of interest they were speaking to with “varying degrees” of engagement.

Detective Inspector Nick Pritchard told media later that day that the child had multiple injuries.

“This level of violence toward a child is difficult to fathom,” Pritchard said.

“He was an innocent child who should’ve been safe and loved, and should not have died as he did.

“As part of ongoing enquiries, we are looking into the background with Oranga Tamariki and other enquiries, engaging with other family members to try and build a picture in the weeks that led up to this event.”

The Herald understands the Poole St address where Ruthless-Empire was injured was the home of Morunga and Ross, who are a couple, and that Wall had come to stay there with her child.

This afternoon, Ruthless-Empire’s uncle Ngatanahira Reremoana spoke of the heartbreak their family experienced over Ruthless-Empire’s death.

“I still can’t imagine this happening to our baby,” he wrote on social media.

“He was a baby who touched so many hearts during his 727 days of being on this earth.”

Reremoana recalled meeting Ruthless-Empire’s for the first time as a newborn baby in Hamilton, and being scared to pick him up because “he was so tiny and [I] didn’t want to hurt his little body”.

He said Ru was born five weeks premature and had difficulties at birth, but soon grew out of them.

When they heard news of his death, the family’s hearts “sank to lowest of the lowest they have ever been”.

He said Ru had only been staying at the Poole St property for a few weeks when he was killed.

“We were just about to attend whakamoemiti at Rauhoto Marae ... we received the call of our life from Reihana that our baby passed at 10.39am after a number of attempts to revive our boy, but attempts were unsuccessful.”

Reremoana said they received Ruthless-Empire’s body on October 26.

“We were heartbroken seeing his lifeless body lying on the stretcher ... our baby Ru didn’t deserve to be on there, I would have happily given my life for him.”

He said Ruthless-Empire was welcomed onto his marae on October 27, and was visited by all who loved him over the next three days.

On Sunday last week, Ruthless-Empire’s was laid to rest on top of his Koro.

Reremoana thanked friends and family, as well as Wellington Police and Victim Support for their help so far.

Yesterday, police confirmed inquiries into Ruthless-Empire’s death were still ongoing, and that there were no updates on the case.

Melissa Nightingale is a Wellington-based reporter who covers crime, justice and news in the capital. She joined the Herald in 2016 and has worked as a journalist for 10 years.

Sam Sherwood is a Christchurch-based reporter who covers crime. He is a senior journalist who joined the Herald in 2022, and has worked as a journalist for 10 years.