I hē nei i te Karauna me ngā wāhi whakapono ngā purapura ora o te tūkinotanga; me whakapāha, ā, me whai kaupapa puretumu torowhānui Motuhake

15 Hakihea 2021

E mihi nei te Kōmihana ā-Karauna Tūkinotanga Noho Taurima i te ū o te Karauna ki te tūtohinga o te Uiui e mea nei me whakatū mai i tētahi pūnaha puretumu torowhānui hou, motuhake, e aro pū nei ki te purapura ora.

E tautoko nei ngā Kaikōmihana i te hiahia o te Karauna ki te waihanga tahi i te pūnaha me te Māori, ngā purapura ora me ngā hapori tino whai pānga, pēnei i ngā iwi o Te Moana-nui-a-Kiwa me te hunga hauā.

Ka āta whāia e ngā Kaikōmihana tēnei kaupapa.

I tā rātou rīpoata, He PuraPura Ora, he Māra Tipu – Kia Torowhānui te Puretumu, ka whakahau te Kōmihana ā-Karauna i te Karauna kia kotahi atu rātou ki te whakahaumanu i te mana o ngā purapura ora i tūkinotia, mā te whakatinana i ngā tūtohitanga 95 a te Kōmihana ā-Karauna i te rīpoata o te wā.

Hei tā te Toihau o te Kōmihana ā-Karauna, hei tā Carol Shaw: “E noho nama nei mātou ki te hia rau purapura ora i mahi tahi nei ki a mātou. Nā tō rātou māia i āhei ai mātou te whakarite i tēnei rīpoata, ā, ka tīmatahia hoki ko te ara whakamahu. Ka nui rā te tangi a te ngākau me te oho o te mauri i ā rātou kōrero e pā ana ki ō rātou wheako”.

E pākatokato tonu nei ngā purapura ora i a rātou e tatari tonu nei ki te puretumu torowhānui, ā, he huhua tonu ngā mea kua mate. Me mutu tā rātou tatari. Me kōkiri ināia tonu nei.”

He mea tāpae te ripoata ki te Whare Pāremata e te Karauna i tēnei rā, ko tōna kaupapa ko te wānanga ka pēhea rā tā Aotearoa whakatikatika i te mamae nui i utaina nei ki runga ki ngā purapura ora, ki ō rātou whānau me ngā hapori i tūkinotia nei i te wā o te noho taurima.

Ko tā te rīpoata nei, ko te whakaatu i te korenga o te Karauna me ngā wāhi whakapono e whakaae, e urupare hoki ki ngā tūkino whakawiri ki ngā purapura ora. Ko ētahi o ngā tāngata me ngā whakahaere ka whakaingoatia ki roto i ā mātou whāinga.

Ka whakaaturia e te rīpoata me ngā tūtohitanga te ara e tīmata ai a Aotearoa ināia tonu nei ki te whakamahu i ā tātou tamariki, rangatahi, pakeke e noho mōrearea nei i tūkinotia i te wā o te noho taurima. He nui ake te tūkinotia o te Māori rātou ko ngā uri o Te Moana-nui-a-Kiwa, te hunga Turi me te hunga hauā tēnā i ētahi atu rōpū.

Ko te tūtohitanga matua o te rīpoata, ko te whakatūnga o tētahi “kaupapa puretumu torowhānui” hou, motuhake nei, mā te Māori me ngā purapura ora e waihanga.

Me ea i te kaupapa nei ngā hiahia o ngā purapura ora o te tūkinotanga i te wā o te noho taurima i raro i te Karauna me ngā wāhi whakapono, me whai whakapāha, me whai utu, ā, me wātea hoki ngā ara tautoko maha ki ngā purapura ora me ō rātou whānau.

Hei tā te Toihau o te Kōmihana ā-Karauna, a Coral Shaw: “E mea nei mātou me whai wāhi te kaupapa ki tētahi hātepe puretumu torowhānui; me panoni ko ngā ratonga, ngā ture me ngā kaupapa here kia tōkeke ai, kia whai hua ai, kia wātea ai hoki te puretumu torowhānui ki ngā purapura ora o te tūkinotanga i te wā o te noho taurima.

Hei tā te Toihau Kōmihana ā-Karauna, hei tā Carol Shaw anō: “E kōrero nei mātou mō te puretumu torowhānui kaua ko te puretumu noa iho kia whakaahuatia ai te aronga hauora torowhānui mā reira rawa e whakatikahia ai te kino nui i utaina nei ki ngā purapura ora, ngā whānau me ngā hapori i te tūkinotanga i te wā o te noho taurima. E whai nei ā mātou tūtohitanga i tētahi kaupapa whakapiki mana hei tūāpapa e whakahaumanutia ai ngā ao, te oranga, te hauora me te mana o ngā purapura ora me ō rātou whānau”.

“Kei tā mātou rīpoata e rārangi ana ngā kōrero mō te tūkinotanga whakarihariha i pā nei ki ngā purapura ora i te wā o te noho taurima i raro i te Karauna me ngā wāhi whakapono. Ko te nuinga o te tūkinotanga he taihara. Ko ētahi he whakamamae kino rawa atu. I mua rā, kāore te Karauna me ngā wāhi whakapono i pīrangi whakaae ki te tūkinotanga i raro tonu i te wai e tere noa ana. I pērā rawa te whakarihariha o te momo tūkinotanga. He nui rawa te whiu. I whakapakepake rātou i a rātou anō kia whakapono nei ehara i te mate mau tūturu, hōrapa anō hoki”.

E tino hauwarea nei ngā raraunga tūkinotanga i te wā o te noho taurima ā-nehe nei. E whakapaetia ana kei te takiwā o te 250,000 tamariki, rangatahi, pakeke noho mōrearea nei i tūkinotia i te wā o te noho taurima i raro i te Karauna me ngā wāhi whakapono i ngā tau 1950 - 2019.

E whakaū nei ngā whāinga o te wā a te Kōmihana ā-Karauna i nui noa ake te tūkinotia o te Māori i te wā o te noho taurima tēnā i ētahi atu rōpū. I nui hoki te tūkinotia o ngā uri o Te Moana-nui-a-Kiwa me te hunga Turi e ai ki ngā tatauranga taurimatanga.

“Me aro te pūnaha puretumu torowhānui ki te purapura ora, ā, me hua ake hoki i te pāmamae. Me noho ko ngā mātāpono tika tangata, uarātanga, kaupapa anō hoki o te ao Māori me te Moana-nui-a-Kiwa hei tūāpapa. Me mahi tahi ki ngā umanga, ā, me hora ko tētahi rārangi ratonga whānui ki ngā purapura ora me ō rātou whānau. Me waihanga, me whāriki tahi hoki me te Māori mā te hanganga o tētahi Rōpū Māori. Me tino whai wāhi hoki ngā purapura ora, ō rātou whānau me ngā kaitautoko mā te waihanga i tētahi Rōpū Purapura Ora anō hoki.”

Ko tētahi atu tūtohitanga i roto i te rīpoata, me whakapāha te Kāwana-Tianara, te Pirimia me ngā upoko o ngā whakahaere whakapono mō te tūkinotanga i pā me te mamae nui i hua ake.

“E hia tekau tau nei kua hipa, kāore nei i arohia ake ngā kerēme puretumu a ngā purapura ora, ā, i waimehatia rānei ō rātou wheako. He huhua tonu ngā mea kāore i whakaponotia, ā, parea ana ērā ki tāhaki. Me motuhenga, me ahu mai i te ngākau aroha ngā whakapāha ki ngā purapura ora,” tā Coral Shaw.

Hei tā Carol Shaw, “Ka whakarongo tonu te Kōmihana ā-Karauna ki ngā kōrero a ngā purapura ora hei whakamōhio i tēnei uiui. Hei te rīpoata whakamutunga whakatakototia ai ētahi atu tūtohitanga e pā ana ki te puretumu torowhānui. Me kaua ngā purapura ora e tukua kia tatari kia whakarongoātia ngā whakamamaetanga i pā ki a rātou.”

Hei tāna e whakawhetai nei te Kōmihana ā-Karauna ki ngā purapura ora i hora ake nei i ā rātou kōrero i roto i te uiui ā mohoa nei.

“Ka nui te hōnore ki te rongo i ngā kōrero a ērā kua roa e reo kore ana. Ko te tūmanako ia, mā tēnei rīpoata e whai reo ai ngā purapura ora i tika nei kia whai reo, ahakoa te mokonahatia i mua rā.”

“He nui tonu te mahi kei mua i te aroaro. Hei tērā tau ka haere tonu tā mātou mahi whakatewhatewha mā ngā nohoanga, ngā wānanga, ngā hui, ngā fono, ngā hui ā-kanohi ki te kanohi ki ngā purapura ora, te whakapāpā hapori, te rangahau me te tātari kaupapa here. Ka kōkiri tonutia mā te hora rīpoata me te whakatakoto i ngā whāinga motuhake, arotahi hoki. Ka whanake tonu te āhua o tā mātou mahi i a mātou ka mahi nei.”

Ko te katoa o te rīpoata me ngā tūtohitanga ka kitea ki te pae tukutuku o te Kōmihana ā-Karauna Tūkinotanga Noho Taurima.

KA MUTU

Abuse survivors failed by State and faith-based institutions; apologies and independent puretumu torowhānui scheme needed

The Abuse in Care Royal Commission notes the Government’s commitment to introduce a new, independent, survivor-focussed puretumu torowhānui system, as recommended by the Inquiry.

Commissioners welcome the Government’s intention to design the system with Māori, survivors and key communities including Pacific people and disabled people.

Commissioners will be following this work closely.

In its report, He Purapura Ora, he Māra Tipu – From Redress to Puretumu Torowhānui, the Royal Commission urged the Government to take urgent action to restore mana to survivors of abuse, by addressing the Royal Commission’s 95 recommendations in the interim report.

Royal Commission Chair Coral Shaw said: “We are indebted to the hundreds of survivors we have worked with. Their bravery has given us the tools to create this report and therefore begin the healing process. The experiences we have heard have been heart-breaking and beyond belief.”

Survivors continue to suffer as they wait for puretumu torowhānui and many have died in the meantime. They should wait no more. The time for action is now.”

The report, presented in Parliament by the Government today, is about what Aotearoa must do to put right the deep harm done to survivors, their whānau and communities through abuse in care.

The report is about the failures of State and faith-based institutions to accept, acknowledge and respond to the atrocities inflicted on survivors. Some individuals and organisations are named in our findings.

The report and recommendations address how Aotearoa can immediately begin to heal our tamariki, rangatahi and at-risk adults who have been abused in care. Māori, Pacific people, Deaf and disability communities were abused in care more than other groups.

The report’s key recommendation is the establishment of a new independent “puretumu torowhānui scheme”, to be designed by Māori and survivors.

The scheme must respond to survivors of abuse in State and faith-based care, and facilitate apologies, financial payments and access to a wide range of support services for survivors and their whānau.

Royal Commission Chair Coral Shaw said: “We recommend the scheme fits within a puretumu torowhānui system; a suite of changes to services, laws and policies to ensure fair, effective and accessible puretumu torowhānui is available to survivors of abuse in care.

“We refer to puretumu torowhānui instead of redress, to describe the wider wellbeing approach we believe is needed to put right the profound harm inflicted on survivors, whānau and communities through abuse in care. Our recommendations are about ensuring a mana enhancing approach underpins what is needed to restore the lives, oranga or wellbeing and mana of survivors and their whānau,” said Chair Shaw.

“Our report details the horrific abuse survivors suffered in State and faith-based care. Much of the abuse in care was criminal. Some of it was torture. Historically, State and faith organisations were not willing to accept the widespread abuse that could have easily been uncovered. The scale of abuse was too horrific. The costs too high. They convinced themselves there wasn’t a systemic, wide-spread problem”

Historical care and abuse data is very poor. Estimates suggest up to 250,000 children, young people and at-risk adults were abused in State and faith-based care between 1950-2019.

The Royal Commission’s interim findings confirm Māori were overrepresented in abuse in care compared to other groups. Pacific people and the Deaf and disability communities are also overrepresented in abuse in care statistics.

“The puretumu torowhānui system should be survivor-focused and trauma informed. It should be based on a series of te ao Māori, Pacific and human rights principles, values and concepts. It should co-ordinate the work of various agencies and provide a range of services to survivors and their whānau. It must be designed and delivered in partnership with Māori, through the creation of a Māori Collective. It should actively involve survivors, their whānau and supporters with the formation of a survivors collective too.”

The report also recommends the Governor-General, Prime Minister and leaders of faith-based institutions apologise for the abuse that occurred and the harm it caused.

“Spanning decades, survivors’ claims and attempts to obtain redress have been rejected, or their experiences were downplayed. Many were not believed and dismissed. Genuine and personal apologies to survivors are needed,” said Coral Shaw.

Coral Shaw said, “The Royal Commission will continue to listen to survivors to inform our inquiry. We can make further recommendations on puretumu torowhānui in our final report.

Survivors should not have to wait for a remedy for the horrors they suffered.”

She said the Royal Commission is grateful for the survivors the inquiry has been privileged to hear from so far.

“We have been privileged to hear experiences from those who have previously been voiceless.

We hope this report begins to give survivors the voice they have been denied but have always deserved.”

“We still have a huge amount of work ahead. Next year we continue to investigate using hearings, wānanga, hui, fono, in-person meetings with survivors, community engagement, research and policy analysis. We continue with report delivery and will issue independent and objective findings. Our work will continue to evolve along the way.”

The full report and recommendations can be found on the Abuse in Care Royal Commission of Inquiry website.

About the Inquiry

The Abuse in Care Royal Commission of Inquiry is investigating the abuse of children, young people and vulnerable adults within State and faith-based institutions in Aotearoa New Zealand between 1950-1999. We can also learn from the experiences of survivors who have been in care after 1999, to make recommendations to help stop abuse happening in the future.

The Royal Commission is due to deliver its final report in June 2023.

How to get in touch with us

Survivors, their whānau and support people can call us in New Zealand on 0800 222 727 between 8.00am and 6.00pm Monday to Friday. Call us from Australia on free phone 1800 875 745. Email us at contact@abuseincare.org.nz

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