State care abuse: PM hopes to redress injustices of the past

Prime Minister Christopher Luxon hopes to address redress for the thousands of survivors who shared their stories in the Royal Commission's Abuse in Care inquiry.

The Royal Commission delivered its final report, set to be presented at 4pm today in Parliament, which contains the stories of over 3,000 state care survivors across 16 volumes.

Speaking to William Terite on Pacific Mornings, Luxon commended the "incredible courage" of the survivors in telling their harrowing and horrific stories.

"Today is an important day because we're making sure those survivors and their stories are heard," Luxon said.

"I've been reading the report over the recent weeks and you can't help but be affected by the abuse they endured."

The inquiry reported that Pacific survivors are over-represented as survivors of abuse in both State care and the care of faith-based institutions.

Between 1950 and 1999, a significant number of those removed from their families and placed in care were from Pacific communities.

The Waitangi Tribunal estimates that 80-90 per cent of Mongrel Mob and Black Power members were children in the state care system, during a time which included a mass migration of Pacific labourers to Aotearoa, the Polynesian Panther era and the Dawn Raids.

The Inquiry, established in 2018, was extended after an influx of submissions, including 133 days of public hearings, alongside a dedicated Pacific hearing in Māngere in July 2021.

Auckland University associate professor in criminology Tamasailau Suaalii-Sauni hoped that the final report would provide opportunity for accountability.

“It’s a chance for the government to review its policies around state care,” Suaalii-Sauni said.

“To ensure that our children and young people who experience harm are given the opportunity to call those responsible for their harm to account and to have appropriate services addressing historical, contemporary and intergenerational harm be properly resourced.

“The greatest hope is that we get a shift in public attitudes, and we get a shift, in particular, in the attitudes of those who have direct responsibility for our children and for our young people.”

Luxon confirmed these hopes, saying redress for the survivors is essential and that they'll contemplate the report's over 130 recommendations, which is 35 more recommendations than the earlier interim report in late May.

"We now have a responsibility to move forward to redress,” Luxon said.

"None of that redress will make it right for people completely but the reality is the government stumps up and works with the survivor groups on redress."

Luxon said the work they'll do with survivor groups includes an appropriate and full public apology in November, to address as a nation an "historic abuse".

He said although there's been changes around safeguarding protections and eliminating oversight of care in recent years, that this abuse traces over several decades.

"The State is culpable in this, they let New Zealanders down, vulnerable New Zealanders down badly.

"The stories are just horrific and again I have huge admiration today for the 3,000 survivors that have the courage to go back and tell those stories.

"I want them to know they've been heard. And importantly now as Prime Minister and the leader of this government, we will work to redress and will work with the survivor groups on the apology."

Watch the full interview via 531pi's FB below: