New Zealand’s indigenous Maori people were at the centre of a national outcry over the abuse of children yesterday after a three-year-old girl was rushed to hospital with severe injuries, allegedly inflicted by members of her family.

Nia Glassie was hung from a clothes line and spun in a clothes dryer, police said. She remained in a coma in a children’s hospital in Auckland, with severe head and abdominal injuries, which police say were caused by months of abuse by relatives, including her stepfather and an uncle.

Helen Clark, the Prime Minister, urged members of the Maori community to report child abuse at the earliest opportunity to prevent further tragedies. She said: “I cannot believe that a child subjected to that level of horror, sadism, torture . . . that nobody knew. I can’t believe that.

“People have got to start turning in those who, frankly, are maiming and killing our children. The statistics are not good and that is a cause for Maori to reflect on and, I believe, act on.”

The latest case of child abuse comes a year after the deaths of Cru and Chris Kahui, three-month-old Maori twins, brought the issue of Maori child abuse to national attention.

Cindy Kiro, the governmentappointed Children’s Commissioner, said that child abuse cases in New Zealand were “shockingly high and completely unacceptable”. Dr Kiro said: “We have known for some time that this has been the case and there is a desire to do something about it. It requires decent investment in programmes.”

Pita Sharples, an MP and the leader of the New Zealand Maori Party, said: “How do I feel when I hear they’re Maori? I feel ashamed. I feel guilty.”

William Curtis, 47, a lorry driver, has been charged with assaulting Nia over a four-month period and injuring her with intent to cause serious harm.

His son, Wiremu Curtis, 17, who is the partner of Nia’s 34-year-old mother, is due to appear in court next month in connection with the child’s injuries. Two other men, including a brother of the younger Mr Curtis, also face charges of assaulting the child.

Christine Rankin, chief executive of For The Sake of Our Chidren, a child- protection organisation, said: “The real issues are being masked. Maori feature hugely in the child abuse statistics, yet this fact is something that we’re not allowed to talk about.

“When I’ve raised this issue before, I’ve been accused of being racist. I’m not racist. I’m simply stating the facts. Are we honest enough to tell the truth? Approximately 60 per cent of child abuse is in Maori families, yet they represent only 15 per cent of the population.”

Elizabeth Segedin, a senior doctor at Auckland’s Starship Children’s Hospital, where Nia is been cared for, said that the high number of child abuse cases was “a national scandal, or it should be”. “It’s extremely distressing when we hear absolute nonsense stories [about the cause of a child's injuries] that we know are not true.”

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