The Children's Minister has come under pressure over how Oranga Tamariki staff members who watched the brutal MMA fight between kids in a youth justice facility were hired.
It has sparked questions about if there is a cultural issue within these youth justice facilities.
Children's Minister Kelvin Davis revealed to AM on Wednesday nearly a dozen Oranga Tamariki staff members have been stood down recently, pending investigation.
It comes after Newshub exclusively revealed on Tuesday footage of the fight that occurred at Korowai Manaaki in south Auckland - the same facility where, just days ago, five teenagers escaped onto the roof, causing significant damage during a 40-hour standoff.
Police are investigating and four staff members at the facility have been stood down.
The video shows two young men unleashing on one another, egged on by fellow residents. One of them is knocked down and called an expletive for not getting up. He fights on, is violently knocked down and can't get up.
Davis told AM the footage is "very disturbing" and the fact staff members were in the room and did nothing is "totally unacceptable".
Former Police Commissioner Mike Bush has recently been brought in to review the Oranga Tamariki youth justice facilities after it was revealed two staff members were removed from the Government department residences after allegations of inappropriate and sexual behaviour surfaced.
Davis told AM the fight occurred after the review was implemented but added while the fight isn't good, it is good this stuff is being "flushed out".
"What I was told was any adult who witnessed the event has been stood down," he said.
"If there are adults there who did not intervene and did not say this is wrong, then there's no place for them, as far as I'm concerned in a youth justice residence."
Davis said from what he could see from the footage, it looked like some staff members were condoning the fight.
This led to AM co-host Ryan Bridge questioning Davis about how these people were hired in the first place.
"That's part of what Mike Bush is going to get to, this whole situation about recruitment, it's difficult to recruit staff there but we still got to make sure that the right people are recruited," he said.
Davis revealed 11 Oranga Tamariki staff members have been stood down pending investigations recently for their behaviour and conduct.
When asked if there is a cultural issue at youth justice facility residences, Davis said the review is looking into that.
"We implemented the review because we believe or suspected things weren't quite right and what we're doing is flushing things out," Davis told AM.
"When you go to flush things out, you shouldn't be surprised that things get flushed out and like I said earlier, what would be worse is if things had continued to happen in secret, which is what has gone on for probably decades. "
When Labour was in opposition in 2015, Davis called for then-National Corrections Minister Sam Lotu-Iiga to resign after prisoner violence and the death of an inmate at Mt Eden prison.
When asked by Bridge if he takes responsibility for the fight in the youth justice facility and if he would resign, Davis said the Labour Government is addressing the issues.
"That's what we're doing, we're owning it by saying we suspect there are problems and we're going out and fixing it," he said.
"I am responsible for making sure that the children of New Zealand are safe and by having this review and finding the problems and fixing them, that is taking responsibility.
Watch the full interview with Kelvin Davis in the video above.
