The Coroner’s findings into the death of Malachi Subecz are devastating and demand serious reflection across our systems.
Below is Safeguarding Children CEO Willow Duffy’s response. This statement was also published by NZ Doctor | Undoctored on 11 February 2026.
________________________________________________________________________________
The Coroner’s findings into the death of Malachi Subecz are devastating and tragically familiar. Malachi was known to services, warning signs were missed, and he should still be alive.
Not only was Malachi the victim of ‘deliberate evil,’ he was also failed by systems that continue to fail children – where work happens in silos and adults are not equipped to recognise or act on harm early.
Children are seen every day by teachers, early learning staff, health professionals, emergency departments and community groups. These people are not peripheral to keeping children safe – they are central. They are often the first to see signs of harm and if they’re not trained, supported and empowered to act early, abuse continues. This means the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Education must step fully into the child safeguarding space. This cannot solely sit with Oranga Tamariki and Police.
Concerns about Malachi were raised, yet critical signs were not acted on by people in professional roles, information wasn’t shared, and escalation processes were unclear. In just one example, if staff at the daycare Malachi attended were trained to escalate concerns directly to government agencies, without needing to rely on a single ‘go-to’ person, the outcome might have been different.
I have concerns about the commitments government has made recently, without a substantive plan. Mandatory reporting without meaningful training will overwhelm the system. The training must be substantial, not a tick box exercise for some quick online module – it’s critical that training includes an overhaul of how individuals and organisations, in every sector, handle concerns.
We need clear accountability across health, education, social services and private providers, and an end to the silos that allow children to fall through the cracks.
Every review tells us this. Every Coroner’s report reinforces it.
— Willow Duffy
CEO, Safeguarding Children
________________________________________________________________________________
This statement was published by NZ Doctor | Undoctored on 11 February 2026.
Read the original coverage here: Coroner’s findings into the death of Malachi Subecz: Response from Safeguarding Children CEO Willow Duffy | New Zealand Doctor.