For survivors | Crown response to the Abuse in Care Inquiry

This page provides information about support available from government agencies or community services for survivors of abuse in State care to:

To access help or support from the Royal Commission you can:

visit the Royal Commission website(external link)
Survivors, their whānau and support people can call the Royal Commission in New Zealand on: 0800 222 727 between 8.30am and 4.30pm Monday to Friday
People in Australia can call the Royal Commission on: free phone 1800 875 745.
Email the Royal Commission at: contact@abuseincare.org.nz

Make a claim

You can make a claim of historic abuse or neglect with the Ministry of Social Development if you were in the care, custody, guardianship, or came to the notice of the Child Welfare Division, the Department of Social Welfare, the New Zealand Children and Young Persons Service or Child, Youth and Family before 1 April 2017.

For more information, including how you can start the claims process, please go to the Ministry of Social Development, Historic Claims web page.(external link)

If you were abused or neglected while in the care of Oranga Tamariki (after 1 April 2017) you can make a claim with Oranga Tamariki.

For more information, please go to the Oranga Tamariki claims web page(external link).

If you were abused or neglected at a residential special school run by the Department of Education before 1989, you can make a historic claim with the Ministry of Education.

For more information, please go to the Ministry of Education’s historic claims web page.(external link)

If you were abused or neglected at a former psychiatric institution, you can make a historic claim with the Ministry of Health.

For more information, please contact the Ministry of Health Historic Abuse Resolution Service.(external link)

Request personal records

You have the right to ask for a copy of any personal information government agencies hold about you

The Privacy Act 1993 is the main law that sets out your rights to your information.

Contact details are provided below for the main government care service agencies that may hold information about you.

Government records may be missing or incomplete

Sometimes agencies you have dealt with may have patchy records about you. Often this is because records were not kept, were destroyed as part of past record keeping practice, or may have been lost, especially if they are very old.

You may need to ask more than one government agency

Because your personal information may be held by more than one government agency, you may need to make more than one request.

When asking for information, please try to be specific about what you are looking for – for example, dates spent in care in a particular place. This will help an agency find other agencies that may hold information about you.

Archives New Zealand cannot usually provide information about personal records (or parts of records) it may hold. The agency that transferred records to Archives New Zealand controls access to those records, and there may be privacy or other concerns around them. Therefore, you need to get in touch with the agency (or agencies) to request personal records.

Agencies are looking at ways to streamline the request process, so in future you don’t have to ask more than once for your information.

What to expect about your request

You can expect to:

be asked for proof of your identity, usually a passport or a New Zealand driver’s licence
receive confirmation that your request has been received
have the agency respond within 20 working days of your request being received. This will be to provide your personal information, arrange delivery (if it’s being sent by courier), or give you a timetable for its delivery (if the files are old they can take some time to find and get back from storage). New Zealand Courts may take a little longer to respond as their records need to be reviewed by a judge.

Information about other people

Personal information about other people may be blanked out from your records.

If you are asking for information about someone else (such as member of your whānau), you will have to meet extra requirements. The agency will discuss these requirements with you, since different laws may apply.

See agency contact details

Making a complaint

If you have any concerns about a government agency’s response to your request, you can complain:

directly to the agency, using the complaints process available on the agency’s website
to the Privacy Commissioner, if your feel your privacy has been interfered with
to the Ombudsman about agencies’ decisions.

Report current care concerns

These services are available if you have concerns about someone’s current care or situation:

Police on 111 (if someone is in immediate danger)
Oranga Tamariki on 0508 326 459 (for children at risk)
Health and disability advocates on 0800 555 050 (for problems with health and disability services)

The United Nations Committee Against Torture reports on the Child and Adolescent Unit at Lake Alice Hospital

In July 2017, Mr Paul Zentveld submitted a complaint to the United Nations Committee Against Torture (the UNCAT) claiming a violation of his rights under the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (the Convention) relating to his experiences as a child in the Child and Adolescent Unit at the Lake Alice Psychiatric Hospital. The UNCAT issued a report on its decision(external link) regarding the complaint in December 2019, which urged New Zealand to:

conduct a prompt, impartial and independent investigation into all allegations of torture and ill-treatment made by Mr Zentveld, including considering filing charges against the perpetrators;
provide Mr Zentveld with access to appropriate redress, including fair compensation and access to the truth, in line with the outcome of the investigation; and
make the decision publicly and widely known, to help prevent similar rights violations.

The New Zealand Government provided the UNCAT with a response to the report in April 2020 [PDF, 95 KB]. Further observations were provided to the UNCAT in January 2021. The observations noted that since February 2020 the New Zealand Police has been conducting an in-depth investigation into complaints about the Child and Adolescent Unit, which Mr Zentveld and his representatives have been updated on, and the UNCAT decision has been made public on the New Zealand Police website(external link) via the Royal Commission, and through a number of major media items. As a result of the Police investigation a former Lake Alice staff member has been charged and is awaiting trial.

In March 2018, Mr Malcolm Richards submitted a complaint to the UNCAT claiming a violation of his rights under the Convention relating to his experiences as a child in the Child and Adolescent Unit at the Lake Alice Psychiatric Hospital. The UNCAT issued a report on its decision [PDF, 370 KB] regarding the complaint in June 2022, which urged New Zealand to:

proceed with a timely consideration by the courts of all allegations of torture made by Mr Richards including, where appropriate, the application on perpetrators of the corresponding penalties under domestic law;
provide Mr Richards with access to appropriate redress, including fair compensation and access to the truth, in line with the outcome of the trial; and
make the decision publicly and widely known, to help prevent similar violations of the Convention in the future.

The New Zealand Government provided the UNCAT with a response to the report in September 2022 [PDF, 232 KB].

As part of the Royal Commission’s investigation into abuse in psychiatric care it is investigating the Child and Adolescent Unit as a case study. The Royal Commission held a public hearing into the Unit on 14–29 June 2021(external link). Findings on the Unit are expected to be included in a Royal Commission report(s).

Crown Confidentiality Waiver

The Crown has waived confidentiality for anyone who has a settlement for a historic abuse claim, so you can share any information about your settlement agreement with the Royal Commission.

Crown Confidentiality Waiver [DOCX, 27 KB]

Help and support services

The following covers information about support available from government agencies or community services, not from the Royal Commission. Information about the help and support the Royal Commission provides is here(external link).

Alcohol and Drug Helpline(external link) 0800 787 797 or online chat for people dealing with an alcohol or other drug problem; 10 am to 10 pm)

Anxiety phone line(external link) 0800 269 4389 (0800 ANXIETY)

Depression Helpline(external link) 0800 111 757 or free text 4202 (to talk to a trained counsellor about how you are feeling or to ask any questions)

Family Services 211 Helpline(external link) 0800 211 211 for help finding (and direct transfer to) community based health and social support services in your area.

Lifeline(external link) 0800 543 354 (0800 LIFELINE) or free text 4357 (HELP)

Male Survivors of Sexual Abuse Aotearoa New Zealand(external link)

Need to talk?(external link) Free call or text 1737 any time for support from a trained counsellor

OUTline NZ(external link) 0800 688 5463 (OUTLINE) provides confidential telephone support for sexuality or gender identity issues; 9 am to 9 pm weekdays, and 6 pm to 8 pm weekends)

Rape Crisis(external link) 0800 883 300 (for support after rape or sexual assault)

Safe to talk(external link) (Available 24/7) 0800 044 334, free txt 4334, email support@safetotalk.nz Free and confidential information and support from trained counsellors for people affected by sexual harm in any way.

Samaritans(external link) 0800 726 666

Skylight(external link) 0800 299 100 for trauma, loss and grief; 9am–5pm weekdays

Suicide Crisis(external link) Helpline 0508 828 865 (0508 TAUTOKO)

Supporting Families in Mental Illness(external link) For families and whānau supporting a loved one who has a mental illness. Auckland 0800 732 825.

Victim Support(external link) This free service provides emotional and practical support, information, financial assistance, referral to other support services and advocacy for the rights of victims.

Youthline(external link) 0800 376 633, free text 234 or email talk@youthline.co.nz or online chat.

Government agency contact details

Last modified: 23 November 2022