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Abuse in Care - Royal Commission of Inquiry

Abuse in Care - Royal Commission of Inquiry

This Royal Commission is an independent inquiry into abuse in state care and in the care of faith-based institutions in Aotearoa New Zealand.

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  • (English) He Purapura Ora, he Māra Tipu.
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  • Public Acknowledgement and Apologies
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PUBLIC ACKNOWLEDGEMENT AND APOLOGIES

Many survivors emphasised the importance of a public apology – whether instead of or in addition to a personal apology – from the organisation concerned. They saw a public apology as validation of the abuse they had suffered and as an element of ensuring accountability for that organisation. Survivors expressed a wish for the most senior figures of the Crown to issue apologies, and for similarly senior figures of faith-based institutions to do the same. The same should also apply to the heads of indirect State care providers, that is, private, public or non-governmental organisations to which the State passed on its authority or care functions.

At our faith-based redress hearing, The Salvation Army, the Anglican Church and the Catholic Church made public apologies. By contrast, neither the Prime Minister nor any State institution has made any public apology (unlike leaders in other countries, such as Scotland and Ireland). Such an apology from the Crown, and the heads of relevant faith-based institutions and indirect State care providers, would be a symbolic counterweight to the years of denial of any systemic problem in care institutions. Where appropriate, we also consider particular groups, including Māori, should receive specific public apologies where those groups have suffered uniquely in some way.

Recommendations

10.  The Crown and relevant faith-based institutions and indirect State care providers should publicly acknowledge and apologise for the tūkino inflicted and suffered, at an individual, community and national level, including:

  • a public apology to survivors by the Governor-General, Prime Minister and heads of relevant faith-based institutions and indirect State care providers
  • specific public apologies, where appropriate, to specific groups harmed, including Māori, either on this inquiry’s recommendation or that of the puretumu torowhānui scheme, or as a result of direct engagement with affected communities.

11.  The Crown, Māori Collective, Purapura Ora Collective and relevant institutions should determine the content of public apologies and related matters, such as when and where they are made, in collaboration with survivors and in conformity with the principles of good apologies set out below in recommendation 33.

 

Next: Establishment of a new puretumu torowhānui scheme

Recommendations
  • Preface
  • Establishment of a puretumu torowhānui system
  • System Design and Delivery
  • Public Acknowledgement and Apologies
  • Establishment of a new puretumu torowhānui scheme
  • Two routes to puretumu torowhānui
  • Puretumu torowhānui outcomes
  • Funding and Service Delivery
  • Wider Considerations
  • Interim Measures
  • Responding to these recommendations
  • Urgent need for action

So far, more than 2,644 survivors have shared their experience. Join them. Ā mohoa nei, neke atu i te 2,644 purapura ora kua kōrero mai i ō rātou haerenga. Hono mai.

We cannot make any findings, reach conclusions or make recommendations without hearing the voices of those who have the lived experience of state or faith-based care.

Share your experience Kōrerotia mai tō wheako
Phone 0800 222 727 or Text Message on 8185 contact@abuseincare.org.nz
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  • Mō te Kōmihana a te Karauna About the Royal Commission
    • What the Royal Commission is about
    • How it works
    • Te Tiriti o Waitangi
    • Te Taumata
    • Survivor Advisory Group
    • Terms of Reference
    • Working with Māori
    • Our people
    • Deaf community
    • Pacific community
  • Ā mātou uiui Our inquiries
    • Māori experiences
    • Pacific People's experiences
    • Disabled peoples experience
    • State and faith-based redress
    • State psychiatric care
    • Children's State residential care
    • Anglican Church
    • Catholic Church
  • Kauneketanga Our progress
    • Latest updates
    • Reports
    • News
    • Timeline
    • Document Library
  • Kia whai wāhi mai Get involved
    • Sharing your experience
    • Sharing your experience from prison
  • Mā ngā purapura ora For survivors
    • Getting help and support
    • Legal assistance
    • Questions and answers
    • Survivor stories

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