Claire Achmad

Claire Achmad
Achmad in 2024
Children's Commissioner
Incumbent
Assumed office
1 November 2023
Preceded byFrances Eivers
Personal details
Born
Claire Indrawati Achmad

Waitākere Ranges, New Zealand
Alma materLeiden University
Academic background
Thesis
Doctoral advisor
  • Mariëlle Bruning
  • Machteld Vonk

Claire Indrawati Achmad is a New Zealand lawyer. She served as the Chief Children's Commissioner between 2023 and 2025,[1] and became the sole Children's Commissioner following the abolition of the Children and Young People's Commission in August 2025.[2]

Early life and education

Achmad has a Pākehā mother and a Javanese father. She grew up in the Waitakere Ranges, and was educated at Titirangi Primary School, Glen Eden Intermediate School, and Avondale College, where she was head girl in her final year.[3][4] After completing a Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Laws at the University of Auckland, Achmad earned a PhD titled Children's Rights in International Commercial Surrogacy: Exploring the Challenges from a Child Rights, Public International Law Perspective at the University of Leiden.[5]

Career

Achmad worked in child advocacy for the Human Rights Commission, World Vision in Melbourne, UNICEF, and Barnardo's Aotearoa.[3][6]

Achmad is a member of the Asia New Zealand Foundation's Leadership Network.[3][7] In 2007 Achmad was named CLANZ-Bell Gully Young Corporate Lawyer of the Year.[8] The University of Auckland included Achmad in their '40 under 40' profiles of young alumni "who continue to shine in both their professional and personal lives".[9]

Achmad was chief executive of the collective organisation Social Service Providers Te Pai Ora o Aotearoa from 2021 to 2023.[10] In November 2023 she was appointed to a five year term to lead the Children and Young People's Commission (Mana Mokopuna), which had previously been the Office of the Children’s Commissioner. She replaced Judge Frances Eivers, who returned to the bench.[11][10] She had been Deputy Children's Commissioner since July 2023.[12] As Commissioner Achmad has expressed concerns about government plans to run military-style bootcamps for young offenders.[13]

In late June 2025, the Sixth National Government passed legislation abolishing the Children and Young People's Commission and reinstating the single Children's Commissioner, effective 1 August 2025. Under the new framework, Achmad remained as Children's Commissioner for at least one year.[14] On 14 August, Achmad called for Gloriavale Christian Community's private school to be shut down after the school failed two consecutive Education Review Office reports. She said:

I'm hugely concerned to see yet another report from ERO outlining a very troubling situation at the Gloriavale school. This is now clear-cut. I'm calling for the school to be closed. I have zero confidence about children's physical and emotional safety and well-being at the school.[15]

Selected works

  • Sekhar Bandyopadhyay, SungYong Lee, Alex Tan, Andrea Chloe Wong, Sanjana Hattotuwa, Claire Achmad (30 May 2019). "Political spectrums in Asia". Asia Media Centre : Helping New Zealand media cover Asia. Retrieved 18 September 2024.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  • Achmad, Claire (2015). "Combatting Statelessness". New Zealand International Review. 40 (1): 22–26. ISSN 0110-0262. JSTOR 48551517.
  • Achmad, Claire; Vonk, Machteld (1 October 2019). "Upholding the law on international commercial surrogacy: at whose cost?". Tijdschrift voor Familie- en Jeugdrecht (10): 239–246.
  • (1 January 2017), Protecting the Locus of Vulnerability: Preliminary Ideas for Guidance on Protecting the Rights of the Child in International Commercial Surrogacy, pp. 513–540, doi:10.1163/9789004295056_026, Wikidata Q130316792
  • (13 March 2020). "Realising treaty-based protection in Aotearoa's child welfare system". Policy Quarterly. 16 (1). doi:10.26686/PQ.V16I1.6457. ISSN 2324-1098. Wikidata Q130316791.

References

  1. ^ "Government strengthens advocacy for all children with new Commission". Beehive.govt.nz. New Zealand Government. 1 July 2023. Archived from the original on 25 December 2023. Retrieved 25 December 2023.
  2. ^ Dexter, Giles (26 June 2025). "Legislation to improve independent monitoring of Oranga Tamariki passes third reading". Radio New Zealand. Archived from the original on 11 July 2025. Retrieved 4 August 2025.
  3. ^ a b c "Children's Commissioner Claire Achmad wants young voices heard - The University of Auckland". www.auckland.ac.nz. Retrieved 18 September 2024.
  4. ^ Achmad, Claire; Leete, Nicola (2024). "Reimagining education: An interview with Dr Claire Achmad, Te Kaikōmihana Matua – Chief Children's Commissioner". Kairaranga. 25 (1): 74–81. doi:10.54322/0cj2x559. ISSN 1175-9232.
  5. ^ Achmad, Claire Indrawati (2018). Children's Rights in International Commercial Surrogacy: Exploring the Challenges from a Child Rights, Public International Law Perspective (PhD thesis). University of Leiden. Retrieved 18 September 2024.
  6. ^ "New Chief Children's Commissioner: Claire Achmad". Radio New Zealand. 1 November 2023. Archived from the original on 18 September 2024. Retrieved 18 September 2024.
  7. ^ "Claire Achmad". Asia Media Centre. Archived from the original on 7 July 2025. Retrieved 18 September 2024.
  8. ^ "40 under 40: Claire Achmad". University of Auckland. Archived from the original on 15 May 2025. Retrieved 18 September 2024.
  9. ^ "40 Under 40". University of Auckland. Archived from the original on 23 June 2025. Retrieved 18 September 2024.
  10. ^ a b "Dr Claire Achmad". Mana Mokopuna. Children and Young People's Commission. 15 August 2023. Archived from the original on 27 September 2023. Retrieved 18 September 2024.
  11. ^ "Chief children's commissioner appointed". The New Zealand Herald. 18 September 2024. Archived from the original on 16 May 2025. Retrieved 18 September 2024.
  12. ^ "The new Children's Commissioner tells John all about her vision for New Zealand's tamariki". Newstalk ZB. 18 September 2024. Archived from the original on 18 September 2024. Retrieved 18 September 2024.
  13. ^ "Children's commissioner concerned about boot camps". Otago Daily Times. 24 June 2024. Archived from the original on 18 September 2024. Retrieved 18 September 2024.
  14. ^ Dexter, Giles (26 June 2025). "Legislation to improve independent monitoring of Oranga Tamariki passes third reading". Radio New Zealand. Archived from the original on 11 July 2025. Retrieved 4 August 2025.
  15. ^ Edwards, Jean (14 August 2025). "Children's Commissioner calls for urgent closure of Gloriavale Christian School". Radio New Zealand. Archived from the original on 16 August 2025. Retrieved 16 August 2025.
  • Report, Achmad talking about the Ministry of Child Poverty Reduction 2023-2024 annual report on the child and youth wellbeing strategy. Via Waatea News
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