Proactive release of high-level redress system design proposals

The Government has proactively released a redress design group proposal for the high-level design for an effective survivor-led and survivor-centred redress system.

Background

In 2023, Ministers established a Design Group, supported by an Advisory Group, to develop high-level redress system design proposals.
 

The Design Group co-chairs were appointed by the Minister for the Public Service in April 2023. Members of the design and advisory groups were nominated by an independent candidate review panel.
 

The Design Group commenced its work in June 2023.  In December 2023, the Co-chairs submitted the Design Group’s proposals to the Government and the Design Group was disbanded. 

Summary of the proposal

Key elements are:

• bring all redress functions into one entity that is independent of the Crown and non-State care organisations, and under the governance of survivors
• for the redress system to have the following five functions: 

1. 1. provide a safe, responsive environment where survivors can share and access support for their experiences
   2. facilitate acknowledgements and apologies
   3. provide access to monetary payments and targeted services and supports for survivors
   4. monitor, investigate, and advocate for system-level changes to care settings, to help eradicate abuse
   5. manage investment funds to ensure certainty of funding and maintain a sustainable system for future survivors.

• the system would have broad coverage in terms of both the types of abuse experienced and the settings the abuse occurred in
• the system would operate a high-trust model with significant decision-making about redress pathways resting with individual survivors
• a focus on the supports and services survivors needed to move from a traumatised to a flourishing state, including by drawing on and expanding effective existing services, and creation of new services where there are gaps
• provide access to three forms of monetary payment – with each payment having a different evidentiary requirement reflecting its purpose and monetary level:

1. 1. a flat-rate welcome (whakatau) payment (of $10,000), that helps a survivor feel valued and minimises immediate financial pressure on a survivor as they engage with the system
   2. ‘standard’ stepped payments (of $30,000–$410,000) reflecting different levels of survivor experience
   3. a flat-rate whānau harm payment (of $10,000) available to those cared for by survivors and impacted by the latter’s trauma, to help mitigate further intergenerational harm.

• the design and establishment of the system should be led out by an interim survivor leadership (kaitiaki) group that works closely with the Crown
• ensure the system’s long-term sustainability with a capital investment managed by the entity, using investment earnings to self-fund the operating budget
• the Crown would provide the initial capital investment, and then secure contributions from non-State care organisations to recoup an appropriate share of the funding cost.

Design group high-level redress design proposal

Putahi te mauri he wai ora e Redress design proposal [PDF, 5.4 MB]