Two arrests were made during the uplift of a newborn baby by Oranga Tamariki on Thursday.
Footage reveals a confrontation between family members of a newborn boy and police officers who had been sent to Auckland Hospital to uplift the child.
In the video, family members plead with the cops to let them take the baby home, but they were told there would be arrests if they remained in the room obstructing them.
While the video - sent to Newshub - cuts off, police have confirmed that two arrests were made for obstruction.
"Police were called to assist Oranga Tamariki yesterday afternoon in the court-ordered uplift of a child at Auckland Hospital," a police spokesperson confirmed to Newshub.
"Two people who were present refused to comply with Police instructions and were arrested for obstruction. They were released without charge."
While Oranga Tamariki wouldn't go into specifics about the case for privacy reasons, Glynis Sandland, the deputy chief executive of Services for Children and Families (North), said uplifts were never easy.
"Bringing a child into care is always an incredibly difficult and emotional situation for families. It is never easy, but ultimately Oranga Tamariki under law has an absolute obligation to the child and their wellbeing," Sandland said.
"Our role is to keep children and young people safe. Sometimes, this means that a child needs to be removed from an unsafe environment but this is never done without the Family Court first determining that all other avenues have been exhausted."
Sandland said social workers and police have a difficult job to do in such circumstances.
"Emotions are high and the filming affects engagement with families at a highly sensitive time."
It follows a tumultuous few months for the agency, which has been criticised for its uplifts after a Newsroom investigation revealed the ordeal of a family in Hawke's Bay. Protesters have also called for a separate agency to be established to look after Māori children.
Newshub.
