OPINION: Govt’s abuse apology an insult to survivors

The Government has formally apologised to abuse victims today at Parliament.

Hundreds attended the events across Wellington, Auckland, and Christchurch, a small representation of up to a quarter of a million people estimated to have been harmed while in state or faith-based care.

As a journalist who has been covering and following the Royal Commission of Inquiry for years, I could not believe it when I heard the apology would be made without a clear action plan for redress.

The Inquiry’s final report was delivered in July with more than a hundred recommendations, Minister responsible Erica Stanford says decisions on redress haven’t been agreed and are still going through the Cabinet process.

We’re taught as children that saying you’re sorry isn’t enough, that action is needed to back up our words.

This should have been a chance for the Government and faith leaders to back up their remorse with meaningful action.

Abuse survivors, many of them from Māori and Pacific families, have been incredibly patient. Some have died waiting for justice. Many have carried the weight of trauma for most of their lives, and should be given the dignity of a well-prepared apology, not left with questions still unanswered.

However, this isn’t all on the Coalition Government. The Inquiry interim report also made recommendations in 2020, which were not actioned by the then-Labour government.

The recommendations aren’t cheap: financial compensation for victims, support services, giving survivors access to personal records, changing the names of places linked to abuse and perpetrators, along with a ‘whānau harm’ payment for family members who have been cared for by survivors.

But, after six years of knowing this was coming, I am deeply embarrassed that this is what we’re serving up to survivors today, and I believe the apology should not be going ahead without a formalised plan.

To the abuse survivors, you deserve better. You deserve dignity. You should have been protected and had warriors around you when you needed it. Instead, you learned that the system, the institution, wasn’t to be trusted, and the impact of that and the pain still echoes throughout our society and our statistics.

This apology is another step in what needs to be a marathon towards change. We must say sorry, but continue to back this up with our actions, our taxpayer dollars, our news media coverage, our government policies, and our treatment of abuse survivors.

Here is the livestream link and programme for the public apology event, from 9.45am on 12 November 2024.

9.45am - 11am

Apology event in Banquet Hall, Parliament

Hon Erica Stanford, Lead Coordination Minister

Apologies from public sector leaders

• Andrew Bridgman, Acting Chief Executive and Secretary for Children, Oranga Tamariki

• Dr Diana Sarfati, Director-General of Health

• Andy Jackson, Acting Chief Executive and Secretary for Education, Ministry of Education

• Debbie Power, Chief Executive, Ministry of Social Development

• Una Jagose KC, Solicitor-General

• Tania Kura, Police Commissioner

• Sir Brian Roche KNZM, Public Service Commissioner

Survivor Voices and video

Each survivor voice will be supported by a karakia by morehu (survivors) and mana whenua

• Sir Robert Martin KNZM video (with an introduction by Gary Williams)

• Fa’afete Taito

• Keith Wiffin

• Tu Chapman

• Poi karakia

11.30am -12.20pm

Apology in the House of Representatives

• The Rt Hon Christopher Luxon, Prime Minister

Statement by the Rt Hon Chris Hipkins MP, Leader of the Opposition