Response Plan - Abuse in Care Royal Commission of Inquiry

The Government has released its response to the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Historical Abuse in State Care and in the Care of Faith-based Institutions.

Crown response plan digital version to read online [PDF, 2 MB]

Crown response plan version for printing [PDF, 2.2 MB]

The Royal Commission made 95 recommendations in its 2021 interim report, He Purapura Ora, He Māra Tipu from Redress to Puretumu Torowhānui and 138 in its final report in 2024, Whanaketia – Through pain and trauma, from darkness to light Whakairihia ki te tihi o Maungārongo.

Of these 233 recommendations in total:

  • 207 are addressed to the Crown
  • 26 recommendations are for faith-based institutions and other named organisations in the care and justice systems.

As of May 2025, out of the 207 recommendations for the Crown the government has:

  • Accepted 19 recommendations
  • Accepted the intent of 38 recommendations
  • Partially accepted 28 recommendations
  • Will need to further consider 99 recommendations
  • Declined 23 recommendations.

 

A summary of the government response is below. This will be updated once a year.

  Complete Underway Ongoing Not started Total
Accept 3 6 10 - 19
Accept intent 4 28 6 - 38
Partially accept 6 13 8 1 28
Further consideration required - 38 - 61 99
Decline 23 - - - 23
Total 36 85 24 62 207

 

The definitions of the response are:

Accept: The recommendation is accepted. It will be implemented as it was set out by the Royal Commission.

Accept intent: The intent of the recommendation is accepted. It will be implemented in a different way than set out by the Royal Commission.

Partially accept: One or more sub-parts of the recommendation are accepted as set out by the Royal Commission. The recommendation is not accepted in full.

Further consideration required: The recommendation requires further consideration before a response can be determined.

Decline: Following analysis and a decision-making process, the Crown declines to implement this recommendation.

 

The definitions of the status are:

Not started: Work on the analysis and/or implementation of the recommendation has not yet started.

Under way: Work has begun on the analysis and/or implementation of the recommendation.

Complete: Work on the recommendation has been completed, consistent with the agreed project scope and decision-making process.

Ongoing: The work to deliver on the recommendation part of an ongoing programme of work or activity.

 

The Royal Commission’s recommendations are summarised throughout the document but have not been duplicated, because of their length. The recommendations can be found in full here:

 

Since Whanaketia was published, several actions have been taken. These include:

  • public apologies made by the Prime Minister and seven public sector leaders from Oranga Tamariki, Ministry of Health, Ministry of Education, Ministry of Social Development, Crown Law, Police, and Te Kawa Mataaho Public Service Commission on 12 November 2024
  • acknowledgement that torture occurred at Lake Alice Psychiatric Hospital Child and Adolescent Unit (Lake Alice)
  • an end-of-life payment of $20,000 for Lake Alice survivors along with work to address inequities in the reimbursement of legal fees
  • an investment of $32 million to increase capacity in current redress and claims systems from approximately 1350 to 1550 claims per year
  • a $2 million dual purpose survivor-focused fund for local authorities, non-governmental organisations and community groups
  • progression of the Responding to Abuse in Care Legislation Amendment Bill which supports the Crown response to a range of recommendations
  • commitment to a national day of reflection on the one-year anniversary of the public apology, 12 November 2025
  • progressing of the Responding to Abuse in Care Legislation Amendment Bill
  • Budget 2025 investment of $533 million over four years, for redress improvements
  • Budget 2025 investment of $188.176 million over four years to ensure the safety of children, young people and vulnerable people.

 

Ongoing response

Because there are so many recommendations, and some of them are complex, the Crown response will take many years. The Royal Commission thought the response could take 15 years.

Relevant agencies and portfolio Ministers will remain responsible for delivery of the work and will seek decisions from Cabinet where required.

 

Proactive release of Cabinet papers

You can find proactively released Cabinet papers about the response here: Proactive release of decisions about the Crown response

 

Back to the news

Last modified: