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Our response to He Purapura Ora, he Māra Tipu. From Redress to Puretumu Torowhānui Our response to Whanaketia, through pain and trauma, from darkness to light |
The Royal Commission was established in 2018 to investigate children, young people, and vulnerable adults’ experiences of abuse and neglect in State and non-State care in Aotearoa New Zealand between the years of 1950-1999. The Royal Commission ended on 25 June 2024.
In 2018 a Crown response secretariat was established to coordinate multiple agencies to engage with and respond to the Royal Commission in an effective and timely way.
In 2019 the secretariat evolved into a Crown Response Unit to address the recommendations in the Royal Commission’s 2021 redress report. He Purapura Ora, he Māra Tipu. From Redress to Puretumu Torowhānui.
In 2024 a Crown Response Office was established following a recommendation in Whanaketia, through pain and trauma, from darkness to light, for a central government agency to coordinate, monitor and report on the government’s response to the Royal Commission. The office sits in the Public Service Commission.
The Crown Response Office is coordinating agencies to work through the recommendations in the Royal Commission's:
Reports | Abuse in Care - Royal Commission of Inquiry(external link)
The Royal Commission’s 2021 redress report identified failings in the Crown’s approach to providing redress to survivors of abuse in care. It recommended a new independent redress system to make things right for survivors of abuse in care.
It recommended the Crown begin work on the following four projects ahead of the design of an independent redress system:
From 2021 - 2024, the Crown Response Unit worked with agencies to deliver the projects and supported agencies and Ministers with policy considerations. The following is an update on those projects.
In December 2022 rapid payments were prioritised by the Ministry of Social Development for survivors who are seriously ill or unwell, aged over 70, or those with the oldest claims.
Rapid Payments are now fully integrated into the Ministry's historic claims process.
There are four historic claims agencies:
Find out more: Historic claims agency details
On 12 November 2024, the Prime Minister announced an additional $32 million to increase capacity in the current system while the government works on a new redress system.
In response to the Royal Commission’s recommendation to provide an avenue for survivors to share their experiences of abuse in care the Government (an interim listening service) established the Survivor Experiences Service(external link)(external link) in July 2023.
The service is housed within Te Tari Taiwhenua – Department of Internal Affairs and is guided by an independent Board to provide a safe, supportive, confidential place for survivors of abuse in care, and their whānau, to share their experiences. The Survivor Experiences Service can also help survivors request, receive and understand their care records.
To contact the Survivor Experiences Service:
Visit Home | Survivor Experiences Service(external link)(external link) for more information.
The Royal Commission found that many survivors had difficulty accessing their records. The issues included lengthy delays; or getting incomplete or heavily redacted information.
Over the last couple of years, the Crown Response Unit and Archives New Zealand worked together on five initiatives to make it easier for survivors of abuse to access their personal records while they were in care:
For details about this work visit: Improving access to records
The Royal Commission recommended the Crown and relevant faith-based organisations should publicly acknowledge and apologise for the tūkino, or abuse, inflicted and suffered.
The Prime Minister and seven public sector leaders formally apologised to survivors of abuse in care on 12 November 2024:
Responses from faith-based insitutions to the Abuse in Care Royal Commission of Inquiry are below:
In 2023, the Crown Response Unit established a Design Group and Advisory Group to develop a high-level design of an independent redress system.
The Design Group co-chairs were appointed by the Minister for the Public Service in April 2023. They were Dr Annabel Ahuriri-Driscoll (Ngāti Porou, Ngāti Raukawa, Ngāti Kahungunu) and Ruth Jones QSM (Ngāti Porou, Rongowhakaata).
Members of the design and advisory groups were nominated by an independent candidate review panel.
On 14 December 2023, the Co-chairs of the Design Group submitted the high-level proposals on the redress system to the Government.
On 12 November 2024, the Prime Minister announced the Government’s intention to have a new single redress system operating in 2025 and an additional $32 million to increase capacity in the current system(external link) while the government works on a new redress system.
The Government broadly accepts the Royal Commission’s overall findings in response to recommendation 130 in Whanaketia that states: the Government publish a response to its findings in both the final and interim reports within two months of the report being tabled in Parliament (24 September 2024).
There are over 500 findings in the Royal Commission’s final and interim reports: Reports | Abuse in Care - Royal Commission of Inquiry(external link)).
The findings focus on survivors’ experiences of abuse and factors that contributed to that abuse.
A detailed response to these findings would require officials from multiple agencies to test each individual finding. This would be a resource and time intensive process but would not support the people who were abused in care or improve the safety of people who are currently in care.
Instead, Crown response agencies are responding to the Royal Commission recommendations which aim to both support survivors of abuse in care and improve the current care system.
The Royal Commission recommended the government respond to the 138 recommendations within four months of the final report being tabled in Parliament (24 November 2024).
On 12 November, the Government announced it has either begun work on, or completed, at least 28 recommendations.
For example:
Read more here: Progress against Royal Commission Recommendations .pdf(external link)
The Crown Response Office works with Ministers and agencies across government to respond to the remaining recommendations in Whanaketia and the 95 recommendations from the interim report, He Purapura Or, he Māra Tipu: From Redress to Puretumu Torowhānui.
If you would like to stay up to date on our work programme, please email: contact@abuseinquiryresponse.govt.nz with 'Pānui' in the email subject line.(external link)(external link)
