Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in Care: What you need to know

The final report of the long-running Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in Care will be handed to Governor-General Dame Cindy Kiro on June 26, five and a half years after its terms of reference were announced and decades after survivors first advocated for redress .

Aotearoa New Zealand’s largest and costliest inquiry to date, with almost $170 million spent to date, its recommendations were submitted to Home Affairs Minister Brooke van Velden in late March.

The report and recommendations will be made public once the government submits its report to parliament. Most likely the end of July.

Established in 2018 to investigate cases of abuse and neglect of children, youth and adults in state and religious care between 1950 and 1999. She also received information from people who have since experienced violence. It is estimated that at least 250,000 people were affected.

Compared with similar inquiries around the world, the New Zealand inquiry has the widest scope, said presiding judge Coral Shaw.

Its deadline was extended three times.

Shaw described the harassment as a “national disgrace.”

“The entire country must pay attention to the publication of our final report and take responsibility to ensure this never happens again.”

In the 1990s, when many children were molested by adults, the number of claims against the Crown increased.

The commission acknowledged early on that there was clear evidence that Māori were overrepresented in state and faith-based care, and as victims of violence in care settings. Pacific Islanders and people with disabilities were also overrepresented.

July 6, 2017

Around 200 survivors of abuse in care gathered in Parliament as Race Relations Commissioner Dame Susan Devoy presented a petition and open letter with a total of 15,000 signatures, demanding an inquiry and a public apology. Nine survivors also spoke out. The documents were received by then Green Party co-chair Metiria Turei and Māori Party co-chair Maramax Fox, respectively.

Many people and organizations have already called for an inquiry: survivors, community leaders, political parties (all but national), the Human Rights Commission, the Iwi Leadership Forum, the Māori Women’s Aid League, and the United Nations Commission on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination.

Several other jurisdictions, such as the United Kingdom, Canada and Australia, have recently initiated or concluded investigations into similar matters.

February 2018

Following the change of government in 2017, the following February, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and Home Secretary Tracey Martin announced the establishment of a Royal Commission of Inquiry.

The government asked Sir Anand Satyanand as chairman to seek views on the draft terms of reference of the inquiry.

End of 2018

After over 400 submissions to the project, the final terms of reference were published. (The terms of reference were subsequently revised in 2021 and 2023.)

In November, Ardern announced that the cabinet had agreed to expand the scope of the inquiry to include an inquiry into abuse in institutions run by churches and state institutions.

Beginning of 2019

As part of the Royal Commission, a Survivors Advisory Group (SAGE) was established to represent survivors and provide advice.

The first private sessions took place in May.

There have been several controversies in media reports, regarding the appointment of a gang member to a key role, the use of survivors for trial or pilot interviews, claims that Sir Anand fell asleep while a survivor was telling his story, and accusations that commissioners closed down questions about potential conflicts of interests.

End of 2019

In August, Sir Anand resigned as chairman of the inquiry. He was replaced by Shaw, a former district court judge.

January 2020

Shaw met with Māori king Tūheitia Paki at Tūrangawaewae.

In the following months, a fono series for Pacific peoples was held throughout the country.

End of 2020

In September, the commission recorded 500 private sessions and published its annual report for June 2020.

In December, an interim report summarized the investigation’s work so far. The report said estimates that a quarter of a million young people were victims of abuse may be conservative. Most victims of abuse came from the most disadvantaged or marginalized segments of the community, particularly Māori and Pacific whānau families, people with disabilities, and women and girls.

Early 2021

Public hearings continued on faith-based reparations and on state-run orphanages.

A five-month extension has been granted and the final report is expected in June 2023.

June 2021

At the public hearing, survivors of the Lake Alice Psychiatric Hospital’s children and adolescent unit gave evidence, where patients suffered torture and neglect in the 1970s, particularly at the hands of consultant psychiatrist Dr Selwyn Leeks.

December 2021

The interim report on reparations makes 95 recommendations calling for urgent action to restore mana to survivors and provide a clear path to help repair the profound harm done to them.

The report found that requests for redress were often denied and their abuse downplayed, disbelieved or dismissed.

Public Services Minister Chris Hipkins said the government had listened and acknowledged there were weaknesses in the Crown’s approach to providing redress.

The Labor government intended to create a new, independent redress system. The proposal is currently being considered by the coalition government, but survivors have been told they must wait until the commission’s final report is considered before anything happens.

End of 2022

Public hearings continued, focusing on the experiences of foster families and disabled people institutionalized.

A research report on the links between state care and imprisonment has been published. It was found that between 1950 and 1999, one third of children placed in state institutions served prison sentences.

Another research report has been published, providing insight into the situation of people with learning disabilities and neurodiversity in state and faith-based care between 1950 and 1999.

An inquiry into the Lake Alice Unit was tabled in Parliament on December 15.

March 2023

The deadline for survivor registration was March 21, 2023. More than 4,000 people registered.

April 2023

The original deadline set by the Commission for 30 June 2023 has been extended to 28 March 2024.

Shaw said: “The scale of the abuse is beyond anything imagined at the beginning of the investigation.”

August 2023

An investigation into the Order of the Brothers of St. has been published. John of God at Marylands School and the Hebron Trust.

A school and associated community center for boys with learning disabilities in Christchurch has been described as “hell on earth”.

March 2024

The Cabinet agreed to a final short extension from March 28 to June 26, 2024.

What’s next?

According to human rights lawyer Sonja Cooper, who has worked with victims of state care for more than 30 years, the abuse continues. She told TVNZ’s Q+A that “it’s very much something that’s happening now and, unfortunately, will continue into the future.”

As part of the Crown’s response, an official apology and an independent redress plan are expected.

Studies estimated that the average lifetime cost to a person who experienced abuse in a care facility was approximately $860,000.

But monetary compensation is only one aspect, said Keith Wiffin, a SAGE member. Necessary redress includes compensation and rehabilitation. And transforming a system that continued to allow abuse.