Waitangi Tribunal claimants who have been through the state care system say they have been shut out of Oranga Tamariki reform talks, but their concerns are being labelled a distraction by the ministerial advisory group chair. Dr Alison Green is a former state ward and is completing her post-doctoral research at the University of Saskatchewan in Canada. Photo: RNZ / Patrice Allen The Waitangi Tribunal recommended earlier this year that an independent Māori authority be set up to prevent tamariki Māori going into state care, but the idea has been parked while a Ministerial Advisory Board, chaired by Matthew Tūkaki, conducts its own investigation into Oranga Tamariki.