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STORY: :: New Zealand PM reacts after inquiry finds 200,000 cases of abuse in state care

:: July 24, 2024

:: Wellington, New Zealand

:: Christopher Luxon, New Zealand Prime Minister

"Today is about them, the survivors and their stories and to the survivors I want to say thank you for your exceptional strength, your incredible courage and also your confronting honesty. I cannot take away your pain but I can tell you this, today you are heard and you are believed. The state was supposed to care for you, to protect you but instead, it subjected you to unimaginable physical, emotional, mental and sexual abuse. A number of faith-based schools, institutions and people in positions of authority who you should've been able to trust failed you in the worst possible way. This is a dark and sorrowful day in New Zealand's history and as a society and as a state we should have done better and I am determined that we will do so."

"The Royal Commission on inquiry into abuse in care report is of historic significance to New Zealand. It is the result of the largest and most complex public inquiry ever held on our shores and because of this the content needs to be considered with respect and with care, it cannot be rushed."

Nearly one in three children and vulnerable adults in care from 1950 to 2019 experienced some form of abuse, the report found, a finding that could leave the government facing billions of dollars in fresh compensation claims.

An official apology will follow on November 12.

The report estimated the average lifetime cost to an abuse survivor, that is what New Zealanders would consider normal, day-to-day activities, was estimated in 2020 to be approximately NZ$857,000 ($511,200.50) per person, though the report did not make clear the amount of compensation available for survivors.