New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon issued a formal and “unreserved” apology to survivors of abuse in state and church care dating back over seven decades, following the findings of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in Care. The inquiry revealed that one in three people in care between 1950 and 2019 experienced abuse, with about 200,000 individuals subjected to physical and sexual abuse. The abuse was especially targeted at Maori and Pacific Islander communities, who suffered racial discrimination and cultural disconnection at state-run facilities.
Luxon’s apology included acknowledging the torture endured at Lake Alice psychiatric hospital and endorsing the commission’s 138 recommendations, including incorporating the Treaty of Waitangi and the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples into policy. While the government has started working on 28 of these recommendations, survivors feel the apology falls short without tangible action and Maori involvement in drafting it.
The apology also brings to light the Church’s role in the abuse, with Luxon calling on church leaders to contribute to the redress process. However, there are no clear financial redress plans outlined by the government, prompting comparisons with Canada’s response to the findings of its Truth and Reconciliation Commission which provided compensation to survivors of the Indian residential school system.
New Zealand has a history of struggling to provide reparations to Maori people for land lost to colonizers, with ongoing disputes over financial settlements. Survivors of abuse under state care are also seeking redress, but concerns linger over the government’s commitment, with experts highlighting the country’s smaller economy as a potential barrier to providing substantial compensation.
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