The Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in Care will deliver its final report nine months later than planned, with one leader saying the scale of abuse is "beyond what anyone had ever imagined".
Announced in 2018, the Commission was set up to investigate what happened to children, young people and vulnerable adults in State and faith-based care in New Zealand, with a main focus on the years 1950 to 1999.
The previous deadline of June 30 this year has been extended to March 28 next year.
Today, Internal Affairs Minister Barbara Edmonds said the Commission requested the deadline extension, which the Government agreed to.
Inquiry chairperson Coral Shaw said the scale of abuse was "beyond what anyone had ever imagined" at the start of the inquiry and acknowledged the "enormity" of it.
She said the additional time meant the final report and recommendations would be "impactful and meaningful for survivors" and had to be "robust".
"They must demand transformational change in the way we nurture and protect tamariki, rangatahi and adults in care."
“We are now focused on analysing this information, testing and refining our findings and recommendations to ensure they will affect meaningful change to prevent abuse in care happening again."
She said it was important the inquiry got it right, but also acknowledged survivors had been "waiting a long time" for recognition of abuse and neglect suffered in state and faith-based institutions.
The Royal Commission has the widest scope of any similar inquiry around the world, a Commission statement said.
Edmonds said the evidence presented to the Commission included more than 400,000 documents in the past year, which required detailed analysis.
“There have also been recent survivor-driven engagements, including with gang members, and legal requirements need to be met to complete complex natural justice processes."
She said the Commission's work was "immensely important" and the Government wanted to ensure it delivered a final report that "best honours the needs and testimony of survivors".
The Government had committed to ensuring every survivor who wanted to be heard would be able to do so, she said.
“This timeframe extension reflects the huge amount of evidence received and the need for every voice to be included.
“I want to acknowledge that today’s announcement may be distressing for some survivors given the many years that they fought for this Commission. Many have been waiting a long time for their stories to be heard, and for the Commission’s full report and recommendations to be delivered."
She said the Government remained committed to the delivery of a "high quality final report" and recommendations that met the expectations of survivors of abuse in care.
Survivors would receive ongoing support during the extension, she said.
“Work on the new independent redress system design, led by the Minister for the Public Service [Andrew Little], will not be affected by this extension and is continuing at pace."
Work on two other priority projects, an interim listening service and easier access by survivors to records of their time in care, will also proceed at pace, Edmonds' statement said.
The only project affected by the deadline extension was the public apology to survivors, which will not happen until the Commission’s final report is delivered.
Co-chairs announced for redress system
Little also announced the appointment of co-chairs to design the survivor-led independent redress system for historic abuse in care today.
He said the work on redress for survivors of abuse in care remained a high priority for the Government.
The co-chairs will be Dr Annabel Ahuriri-Driscoll (Ngāti Porou, Ngāti Raukawa, Ngāti Kahungunu) and Ruth Jones QSM (Ngāti Porou, Rongowhakaata).
Little said Ahuriri-Driscoll had a background in public health and was a survivor herself, while Jones had "worked extensively with disabled and diverse communities".
Both were "known leaders in their fields", he said.
Ahuriri-Driscoll is a Senior Lecturer in the School of Health Sciences at the University of Canterbury, with a focus on and background in Māori public health.
Jones is co-director of a disability consultancy and with her husband leads Hei Whakapiki Mauri, a Whānau Ora entity supporting tangata and whānau whaikaha (disabled people and families).
She is also a member of the Oranga Tamariki Ministerial Advisory Board and member of Te Tauraki the Iwi Partnership Board for the Ngai Tahu takiwai.
Little said the Government wanted to ensure the new system reflected the voices of survivors who had shared their experiences with the Royal Commission.
“Given the experience of both co-chairs, I have no doubt they understand the importance of the work ahead."
The co-chairs have been appointed for seven months from April 2023.
Crown Response Unit to the Abuse in Care Inquiry director Isaac Carlson said the redress system design work resulted from the recommendations made in the Royal Commission’s redress report.
“We know that many survivors want to see progress – we can assure you that progress is being made."
He said work continued on projects to assist survivors before the new system was ready - one of which was rapid payments under current claims systems.
That was started late last year by the Ministry of Social Development and had prioritised people who were ill or elderly, or those who had been waiting the longest to have their claim resolved.
The rapid payments option for claimants had attracted "good interest" and the continued roll-out of rapid payments wouldn’t be affected by the deferral of the Royal Commission’s report.
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