Pānui Newsletter May 2023
Kia ora koutou,
This pānui announces the members to the Design and Advisory Groups for the new redress system and provides an update to the work of the Crown to improve support for survivors of abuse in care as recommended by the Royal Commission.
Appointment of Design and Advisory Group members
The Minister for Public Service has appointed ten members to the Design Group and 16 members to the Advisory Group to develop high-level design proposals for the new redress system over the next six months.
Collectively the members and the Design Group Co-chairs, provide strong Māori representation, with 19 members identifying as Māori. Other members represent Pacific peoples, Deaf and disabled people, rangatahi, and LGBTQI+. There is also strong representation from both state and non-state abuse survivors.
The Design Group Co-chairs are:
- Dr Annabel Ahuriri-Driscoll
- Ruth Jones QSM.
The Design Group members are:
- Dr Filipo Katavake-McGrath
- Māhera Maihi
- Tyrone Marks
- Te Pare Meihana
- Paora Moyle
- Bernie O’Donnell
- Dr Michael Roguski
- Tupua Urlich
- Keith Wiffin
- Dr Steve Winter.
The Advisory Groups' members are:
- Kararaina Beckett
- David Crichton
- Dr Alison Green
- Joanna Ilolahia
- Toni Jarvis
- Bianca Johanson
- Denise Messiter
- Heidi Nayak
- Sevia Nua
- Fleur Ramsay
- Paora Sweeney
- Frances Tagaloa
- Jacinda Thompson
- Jenni Tupu
- Emma West
- Matthew Whiting.
The Terms of Reference guiding the work of these groups has been proactively released on the Crown Response website.
Improvement of support for survivors of abuse in care
The Crown Response continues to improve support for survivors of abuse in care as recommended by the Abuse in Care Royal Commission of Inquiry. These include rapid payments prioritising ill and elderly claimants, a new survivor experience service and easier provision of survivor records of their time in care.
Rapid payments for claimants
Budget 2023 funding will allow MSD to continue resolving historic claims while a new independent redress system is being established in response to recommendations on redress from the Abuse in Care Royal Commission of Inquiry.
The Government is investing $58.4 million in 2023/24 to resolve a further 1,000 claims of historic abuse of people while in the care of Child, Youth and Family (or its predecessors).
This funding will support both MSD's individual claims assessment process and the rapid payments process that was set up in response to the Royal Commission's recommendations. Since October 2022, over 75% of claimants who have identified their preferred settlement pathway have opted for a rapid payment.
Survivor experience service
The Government is progressing its response to the Royal Commission’s recommendation to provide an avenue for survivors to share their experiences of abuse in care.
From July 2023 a Survivor Experiences Service will provide a safe, supportive, confidential place for survivors to share their experiences of abuse in care, following the closure of new survivor registrations and private sessions services delivered by the Abuse in Care Royal Commission of Inquiry. The service will run until a new, permanent redress system is in place.
Details about the service will be announced soon.
Improving access to records
The Crown Response Unit has published new guidance for agencies to improve consistency in the way agencies make redactions to care leavers’ records when they are requested by people who have been in care.
This is part of the Crown's response to the Abuse in Care Royal Commission of Inquiry’s redress report, which made several recommendations about the provision of records to people who have been in care. In December 2022, Cabinet agreed to improvements to providing access to records, with an initial focus on developing guidance on redactions to support more consistent and transparent practice across agencies and organisations.
The Shared Redaction Guidance(external link) focuses on an issue that survivors and the Royal Commission have highlighted and aims to shed light on redaction processes. The guidance has been published on the Crown Response website(external link) and sent to a range of State agencies and non-State organisations.
Oranga Tamariki, Ministry of Social Development – Historic Claims Unit, Ministry of Education – Sensitive Claims, Ministry of Health, Whaikaha, and the Methodist Church Archives of New Zealand have already indicated their intention to use the guidance.
Budget 2023
As part of Budget 2023 announced on Thursday 18 May, $50 million of funding was approved to support the Crown Response work programme.
Detail about the funding for each initiative can be found on our website: Summary of 2023/24 funding for Crown Response Unit | Crown response to the Abuse in Care Inquiry (abuseinquiryresponse.govt.nz)(external link)
If you have any questions about this pānui please email: contact@abuseinquiryresponse.govt.nz
Ngā mihi nui, Crown Response Unit