Oranga Tamariki holds records about Owairaka Boys Home from 1969-1999.
Archives NZ (Auckland) holds records about Owairaka, with Oranga Tamariki as the controlling agency for restricted records.
Gender: male
Capacity:
Controlling organisation: Government - Department of Social Welfare
Other information:
From MSD Historic Claims report: Owairaka was a short-term facility for boys aged 14 - 17, often those on warrants or on remand from the court. Owairaka also housed some state wards awaiting placement. The home had a secure unit and practised solitary confinement.
From Te Ara: 'Ōwairaka Boys' Home was the subject of an inquiry by civil-rights groups the Auckland Committee on Racism and Discrimination, Ngā Tamatoa and Arohanui Inc, in 1978. Former residents and staff members gave evidence about the brutal treatment meted out to the boys and poor living conditions at the home. A critical Human Rights Commission report followed. These inquiries contributed to the eventual closure of homes like Ōwairaka.'
Social Welfare Residential Care 1950-1994 - Report prepared for the MSD Historic Claims Team, October 2006: This is a three volume report and contains information about institutions:
Information about Owairaka can be found in Volume 3: A selection of boys' and girls' homes (PDF, 5.3MB)
Volume 2 National Institutions (PDF, 9.1MB)
Articles on E-Tangata
Find out how to request Archives New Zealand records.
Held in Auckland:
4941 Owairaka Boys Home, Auckland - Welfare case files c.1969-c.1980;
4665 Owairaka multiple-number subject files ?1970-?1990;
4667 Owairaka Night Supervisors Book ?1968-?1985;
4669 Owairaka Boys' Camp Diaries ?1960-?1966;
4924 Owairaka Duty Room Diaries c.1980-c.1989;
4928 Owairaka Assorted Medical Records ?1958-1990;
4662 Owairaka Doctors' Medical Examination Registers 1974-1990; 4845 Photograph - Boys' Soccer Team [date unknown];
4663 Owairaka Inmates Personal Belongings Registers ?1951-?1979;
4672 Owairaka Institution Diaries ?1952-?1983;
4933 Owairaka Slides [photographs] 1956-c.1964;
4683 Owairaka Occurrences Books ?1960-c.1986;
4844 Camp Trophies, Owairaka ?1960-?1966;
4664 Owairaka Visitors Books ?1961-1990;
4656 Owairaka Inmates Returns Books ?1965-?1974;
4684 Owairaka Secure Block Occurrence Books ?1969-1990;
4668 Daily Appointment Diaries, Owairaka Boys Home ?1969-?1990;
4681 Owairaka Secure Unit Daily Diaries ?1970-c.1987;
4670 Owairaka Secure Unit Night Diaries ?1970-1989;
4657 Owairaka Absconding Registers ?1974-1990;
4661 Owairaka Residential Social Workers' Manual ?1974-?1974;
4682 Owairaka Admission and Discharge Forms ?1975-c.1990;
4671 Owairaka Secure Unit - Boys in Secure Unit ?1975-c.1984;
4675 Owairaka Boys with Justice Department History 1978-1980;
4676 Owairaka Secure Unit Registers of Admissions, Discharges and Doctors' Examinations 1978-1984;
4666 Owairaka After Hours Message Registers 1980-1990; 4658 Owairaka Absconding Reports 1981-1990;
4762 Owairaka Management Records 1983-1990;
4927 Owairaka Details of Admission and Discharge Books 1983-1987;
4926 Owairaka Secure Unit Admission and Examination Registers 1984-1986;
4925 Owairaka Admission and Discharge Registers 1985-1990;
4922 Owairaka Official Diaries 1987-1990;
4673 Owairaka Secure Unit Daily Logs 1987-1990;
4660 Owairaka Open Unit Daily Logs 1987-1990; 4685 Owairaka Secure Care Statistics 1988-1990;
4686 Owairaka Schedule of Admissions and Discharges 1988-1990; 4923 Owairaka Daily Log 1988-1990;
4674 Owairaka Secure Unit - Programme Observations 1990-1990
Held in Wellington:
R21939719 Alterations and additons to kitchen - Owairaka Boys Home - 1977;
R21939260 Owairaka Boys Home - Alterations and additons to secure - 1975;
R10370735 Education - Schools -Owairaka (Mt Albert) - Owairaka Boys Home 1954-1981;
R19241382 to R19241384 Welfare - Management Functions - Auckland Owairaka BH - Admission Policy 1956-1978, Medical and Dental 1919-1966 and Recreation and General 1963-1971;
R19241415 & R19241416 Welfare - management functions - National Institution Management - Owairaka BH - Hospital 1921-1980;
R17217483 Archbishop Johnston Papers - Owairaka Boys' Home 1982;
R7211117 to R7211119 Special Education - Provision in Child Welfare Institutions - Owairaka Boys Home - Auckland 1963-1988;
R7212626 Teachers - Staffing and Appointments - Departmental Teachers - Owairaka Boys Home [contains only card stating file has been borrowed - no date].
R25057400 Owairaka Boys Home land 1991-1997;
R24132957 Owairaka Boys Home - alterations to secure block services as built [plans] 1969-1975;
Archives NZ files re transfer of records: R23453858 and R23454317 1990-1994;
R23454469 NZCYPS Adoption files, Owairaka Boys Home - Welfare Case Files [re transfer of records] 1995-1999;
eleven Ministry of Works files in series 1054 - search "Owairaka Boys Home";
R982691 Owairaka Boys Home Upgrading and Car Park 1980;
R982391 Owairaka Boys Home Secure Block re-roofing 1978-1979;
five police incident and offence files in series 4957 re arson at Owairaka Boys Home 1993-2001;
R82169 to R82172 and R82175 - plans of Owairaka Boys Home c.1979;
R23985171 Special Education - General - Owairaka Boys Home - Class 1960-1987.
Also mentioned in R6740845 Directory of Residential Facilities for Children in the Department of Social Welfare and Voluntary Agencies 1983. Some most commonly used records in Archives NZ Admission and Discharge Registers 1985-1987 [BBID 4925/1a-1d] https://collections.archives.govt.nz/web/arena/search#/entity/aims-archive/4925
Admission and Discharge Forms 1975-1989 [BBID 4682/1a-5a] https://collections.archives.govt.nz/web/arena/search#/entity/aims-archive/4682
Details of Admission and Discharge Books 1983-1987 [BBID 4927/1a-1e] https://collections.archives.govt.nz/web/arena/search#/entity/aims-archive/4927
Absconding Registers 1974-1990 [BBCP 4657/1a-1c] https://collections.archives.govt.nz/web/arena/search#/entity/aims-archive/4657
Inmates Returns Books 1965-1974 [BBID 4656] https://collections.archives.govt.nz/web/arena/search#/entity/aims-archive/4656
Occurrences Books 1960-1986 [BBID 4683/1a-1b] https://collections.archives.govt.nz/web/arena/search#/entity/aims-archive/4683
Secure Unit Registers of Admissions, Discharges and Examinations 1978-1984 [BBID 4676/1a-1b] https://collections.archives.govt.nz/web/arena/search#/entity/aims-archive/4676
Secure Unit Admission and Examination Registers 1984-1986 [BBID 4926/1a-1b] https://collections.archives.govt.nz/web/arena/search#/entity/aims-archive/4926
Secure Unit Night Diaries 1970-1989 [BBID 4670/1a-11e] https://collections.archives.govt.nz/web/arena/search#/entity/aims-archive/4670 Secure Unit Occurrence Books 1969-1990 [BBID 4684/1a-2b] https://collections.archives.govt.nz/web/arena/search#/entity/aims-archive/4684
Information provided by Oranga Tamariki to the Crown Response to the Abuse in Care Inquiry on 14 March 2024.
Volume 3: A selection of boys' and girls' homes (PDF, 5.3MB) - Social Welfare Residential Care 1950-1994 Report prepared for the MSD Historic Claims Team, October 2006.
Te Ara: Children's homes and fostering - Ōwairaka Boys' Home Auckland
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