A Māori midwife says the extreme harm down to a young boy in Flaxmere is a deep-rooted problem.
Police continue to make inquiries into the incident that lead to the boy's injuries at Ramsey Crescent on January 29, and are seeking any further information which may help.
The child remains in a serious condition in a ward in Starship Hospital, and is likely to be severely disabled and brain damaged if he survives.
Detective Inspector Mike Foster says the critical injuries sustained by a 4-year-old boy are some of the most severe injuries he has seen on a child in 30 years of policing.
Police have been speaking to a number of people in relation to the boy's injuries, but would ask anyone else who may be able to help, to come forward.
Police have reportedly spoken to family, but they are not telling them anything.
Māori Midwives Aotearoa Jean Te Huia told Heather du Plessis-Allan that is not acceptable, but she says we need to look at the wider social issues behind why this happened.
"We've got families that are second, third, fourth generation beneficiaries. They've got no hope or income. They generally live with no housing and substandard food. They are hopeless situations."
She says this is an indictment on families that are severely stressed, and that our country does not care for the underprivileged.
"I do believe there is a sensationalism around Māori children being hurt in our community. Since 1986, there have been 70 plus children either murdered or killed at the hands of their children. Only 18 of them were Māori."
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