Demand an inquiry into the abuse of NZers held in state care
Human Rights Commission asks Kiwis to demand an inquiry into the abuse of New Zealanders held in state care
The Human Rights Commission has asked New Zealanders to join their call for a comprehensive inquiry into the abuse of thousands of people, many of them children, while they were under the care of the Government.
“This is a chapter in our nation’s living history where the human rights of thousands of people were abused by their own Government. More than 100,000 New Zealanders were taken from their families and put into state institutions from the 1950s to the 1990s where many suffered serious physical, sexual and emotional abuse and neglect over several years,” said Disability Rights Commissioner, Paul Gibson
“The extent of the abuse is unknown. We believe this painful and shocking chapter of New Zealand history is one that needs to be opened: if we do not openly talk about the mistakes we made, then we cannot ensure they are never repeated. Never Again. E Kore Ano.”
“People with disabilities had no rights and were removed from their homes to spend the rest of their lives in institutions far from families and loved ones: their stories need to be told.”
Maori children were more likely to end up in state homes and institutions than non-Maori children. Some were there for minor transgressions such as wagging school, others found themselves in care after a family tragedy.
“The pain and shame of their shattered childhoods and lives continue to this day, there is no mana in the way the state has treated its own vulnerable people,” said Indigenous Rights Commissioner Karen Johansen.
“Tamariki Maori were more likely to be taken from their families than other children, with some institutions reporting 80 to 100% of all youngsters coming from Maori homes. We know more than 40% of prison inmates spent their childhood in state care: this is a dark chapter in New Zealand history that must be opened up, understood and never repeated. Never again. E Kore Ano.”
An open letter signed by iwi leaders, child advocates and disability sector representatives was released today with a call for New Zealanders to sign a public petition urging Government to take action.
“Our message is simple: we must never let this abuse happen again. We need to start by hearing the stories of those people whose childhoods and lives were forever scarred by their own Government,” said Mr Gibson.
“Once we understand the full extent of what went on then we can ensure our policies in 2017 reflect our shared past: at the moment this is not the case. New Zealanders deserve to know more about their history and learn from it.”
ENDS
--
Never Again
E Kore Ano
Historic
Abuse in State Care
An Open Letter to
the New Zealand Prime Minister
We, the undersigned, call on the New Zealand Government to:
• initiate an independent inquiry into the abuse of
people held in State care in order to identify the systemic
issues that permitted this to occur and the broader impact
of these events on our communities;
• publicly
apologise to those who were affected, including those who
were abused, their families and whanau.
• take other
appropriate steps to acknowledge the harm that has been
caused to the victims and to provide them with appropriate
redress and rehabilitation; and
• take action to
ensure this never happens again.
We know from their stories that many New Zealanders who were placed in government institutions suffered sexual, physical and psychological abuse inflicted by staff, social workers, caregivers, teachers, clergy, cooks, gardeners, night watchmen and even other children and patients. We suspect that institutional abuse has had a disproportionately negative impact on Māori and disabled people, including those with intellectual/learning disabilities. We are yet to establish this with certainty because of the difficulty obtaining relevant data and information.
It is important to determine the full extent and nature of the abuse that occurred. We must understand what took place and learn how and why vulnerable children, teenagers and adults could be abused within the system that was supposed to care for them. Until we know the full story and until we have the answers to these questions, we are not in a position to learn from what happened and to prevent it from happening again.
Although steps have been taken to provide resolution for some individuals through existing claims processes, these processes do not address the underlying systemic questions and do not help us ensure that events like this are prevented from occurring again in future. The intention is not to relitigate the past or to usurp existing settlements – it is to find the truth and make changes for the benefit of the next generation.
Some New Zealanders who have survived abuse while in State care have told us they want an apology, accountability and, most of all, they want decision makers to learn from the past and to ensure that future generations do not suffer as they did.
What needs to happen
We want the Government to ensure that:
• the voices of those
abused while in State care are heard, and the ongoing impact
the events have had on their lives is understood and
acknowledged
• there is official acknowledgement of
the abuse that occurred
• a general public apology
is provided to all those affected, including an apology for
any systemic failings of past governments
• the
experiences of those who have been affected are recognised
and validated
• the full impact on disabled people,
including those with intellectual and learning disabilities,
is identified and recognised
• the impact on Māori, of
both prevalence of placement in State care and incidence of
abuse is adequately assessed and considered
• effective and adequate support is provided for those
who have been affected
• lessons are learned from the
past and action is taken, to prevent future abuse so that
this never happens again.
What should be considered?
There are many ways to ensure
that the above outcomes are realised. One of these is
through an independent inquiry which should consider the
following matters:
a) The treatment of children, young
people and vulnerable adults in State care in psychiatric
and psychopaedic hospitals and wards, health camps, child
welfare care, youth justice facilities and special education
homes
b) The extent of physical, sexual, psychological
abuse and of neglect experienced while in State
care
c) The impact on individuals and groups of the
processes that placed people in State care, including those
in foster care and other environments outside State run
facilities
d) The adequacy of laws, policies and
practices of the day in protecting those placed in State
care from abuse and any systemic issues arising from this
consideration
e) Whether, at a systemic level,
complaints of abuse have been sufficiently and appropriately
dealt with by other official responses, investigations or
criminal or civil proceedings.
Action sought
We, the undersigned, call on the
Government to initiate a robust and independent inquiry into
the above matters and to take other appropriate steps to
ensure that the victims of abuse receive a comprehensive
public apology and appropriate redress for what took place.
We seek urgent engagement with the Government to discuss
the process and methodology in more detail. It is important
for all New Zealanders to understand the full extent of what
took place and to work together to prevent future abuse of
people while in the care of the State. Action is required
now.
Signed
Paul
Gibson Disability Rights
Commissioner
Karen Johansen
Indigenous Rights
Commissioner
Dame Susan
Devoy Race Relations
Commissioner
Dr Jackie Blue
EEO Commissioner
David
Rutherford Chief Human Rights
Commissioner
Richard
Tankersley Human Rights
Commissioner
Keith
Wiffin Former resident Epuni Boys Home and
other homes
Anne
Helm Consumer Panel Member, Confidential
Forum
Gary
Williams Former resident of Pukeroa
Laura Ferguson Trust
Wellington
(Ngati
Porou)
Naida
Glavish Iwi Leaders
Forum
Co-chair, Whanau Ora Partnership
Group
Rahui Papa Iwi
Leaders Forum
Co-chair, Whanau Ora
Partnership Group
David
King National Chairperson, People First New
Zealand Inc - Ngā Tāngata Tuatahi
Pati
Umaga President, Disabled Persons
Assembly
Prue
Kapua National President, Maori Women’s
Welfare League
Vivien
Maidaborn Executive Director,
UNICEF
Kim
Workman Social Justice Advocate, Kim
Workman and Associates
Areta
Kopu Panelist on the Confidential Listening
and Assistance Service Former Human Rights
Commissioner
Judi
Clements Independent consultant, health and
social care; Former Chief Executive, Mental Health
Foundation of NZ
Dr Elizabeth
Stanley Associate Professor of Criminology,
Victoria University of Wellington
Judith
Aitken Public Sector Consultants
Ltd
Professor Mark
Henaghan Dean of Law, Otago
University
Dr Brigit
Mirfin-Veitch Director, Donald Beasley
Institute
Professor Judy
McGregor EEO Commissioner (2003 – 2012)
CNZM
Rosslyn
Noonan Chief Human Rights Commissioner
(2001-2011)
Director, NZ Centre for
Human Rights Law, Policy and Practice
Robyn Hunt Disability
Rights Commissioner (2002-2010)
Joris de
Bres Race Relations Commissioner
(2002-2013)
Mary
O’Hagen Mental Health Commissioner
(2000-2007)
Materoa
Dodds Distinguished Fellow in the
Humanities, Te Whare Wananga o
Awanuiarangi
Ruth
Jones Ngati Porou
--
E Kore Anō, He Tūkinotanga nō mua ki roto i ngā Whakahaere Manaaki o te Kāwanatanga
He Reta Puare ki te Pirimia o Aotearoa
Ko mātau tēnei, e rārangi iho nei ō mātau ingoa, e tono ana ki te Kāwanatanga o Aotearoa:
• me whakarite mai he uiuinga tū motuhake kia tirohia te tūkinotanga o ngā tāngata i purihia ki roto i ngā whakahaere manaaki o te Kāwanatanga e kitea mai ai ngā take pūnahanaha i hua mai ai tēnei āhuatanga me ōna pānga whānui ki ō tātau hapori;
• me tuku i te whakapāha tūmatanui ki te hunga i pāngia e ngā tūkinotanga nei, arā ko ngā tāngata tonu i tūkinotia, ko ō rātau whānau anō hoki;
• me whai i ngā huarahi tōtika e whakamōhiotia ai te kino me te mamae i rangona e ngā pārurenga, ā, me tuku he utu paremata e tōtika ana, he huarahi whakaora hoki, ki a rātau;
• me whai huarahi kia kore anō e hua mai ai tēnei momo āhuatanga.
Kei te mōhio mātau, nā ngā kōrero i rangona ai, tērā ngā tāngata o Aotearoa i whakanōhia ki roto i ngā whakahaere manaaki o te Kāwanatanga, he tokomaha tonu rātau i tūkinotia ā-taitōkai nei, ā-tinana nei, ā-hinengaro nei e ngā kaimahi o aua whakahaere, e ngā kaitoko ora, e ngā kaitiaki, e ngā kaiako, e ngā minita, e ngā ringawera, e ngā kaimahi māra, e ngā kaimataara pō, e ētahi atu tamariki, tūroro hoki. E whakapae ana mātau, he kino kē atu te pānga o tēnei āhuatanga ki te hunga Māori me te hunga hauā, tae atu ki a rātau e kopakopa ana te hinengaro. Kāore anō kia mārō tēnei whakapae, nō te mea he uaua te kimi mai i ngā raraunga me ngā pārongo. He mea nui tonu te rangahau i pēhea nei te whānui me te hohonu o ngā tūkinotanga nei me ōna momo anō hoki. Me mārama tātau ki ngā mahi i mahia, me ako hoki i pēhea, nā te aha hoki i tūkinotia ai ngā tamariki, ngā taiohi me ngā pakeke whakaraerae ki roto i tētahi pūnaha ko tōna tikanga me manaaki i a rātau. Kāore e taea e tātau te ako he aha ngā āhuatanga i hua, me pēhea hoki te aukati atu, kia mōhiotia rā anō te whānuitanga o ngā kōrero nei, kia whai whakautu hoki i ēnei pātai. Ahakoa tonu ngā mahi kua whāia ki te whakatutuki i ngā kerēme o ētahi tāngata takitahi ki roto i te tikanga whakahaere o tēnei wā, kāore e aroa ngā pātai pūnahanaha ki roto i ngā tikanga whakahaere nei, ā, kāore hoki e āwhinatia ngā mahi hei aukati i ngā momo tūkinotanga nei hei ānamata ake nei. Kāore mātau i te whai kia kootitia tuaruatia ngā āhuatanga o mua, kia takahurihia rānei ngā kerēme kua oti nei te whakatau – he rapu kē i te kōrero pono, he whakarerekē i ngā tikanga whakahaere hei painga mō ngā whakatipuranga kei te haere mai. Tērā ētahi tāngata o Aotearoa nei kua oraiti i ngā tūkinotanga i rongo ai rātau i ngā whakahaere manaakitanga o te Kāwanatanga, e kī mai ana ki a mātau kei te pīrangi rātau kia whakapāha te Kāwanatanga, kia noho haepapa te hunga e haepapa ana, ā, ko te mea nui, kia ako te hunga whakarite kaupapahere i ngā āhuatanga i pā ai ki a rātau i mua, kia kore e pērātia ngā whakatipuranga e haere mai ana.
He aha ngā mahi me oti
Kei te tono mātau ki te Kāwanatanga, māna e whakarite mai:
• kia rangona ngā reo o te hunga i tūkinotia ki roto i ngā whakahaere manaaki o te Kāwanatanga, ka mōhiotia hoki ngā hua kino o ēnei mahi e pā tonu nei ki a rātau;
• kia whakaae ōkawa te Kāwanatanga, i mahia ēnei mahi tūkino ki a rātau;
• kia tukuna tētahi whakapāha tūmatanui ki ngā tāngata i pāngia ai e tēnei āhuatanga, he whakapāha hoki me he hapanga pūnahanaha nō ngā Kāwanatanga o mua;
• kia mōhiotia ngā pānga kino i rangona ai e ngā tāngata i tūkinotia, me te mōhio anō he kino tonu;
• kia rangahaua, kia whakamōhiotia te whānuitanga o ngā pānga kino i pā ai ki ngā tāngata hauā;
• kia rangahaua, kia wānangatia te whānuitanga o ngā pānga kino i pā ai ki a Ngāi Māori, arā mō te tokomaha i tukuna ki roto i ngā whakahaere manaaki o te Kāwanatanga me te nui o te tūkinotanga;
• kia tukuna he tautoko e tōtika ana ki te hunga i pāngia kinotia nei;
• kia whakamaua ngā akoranga e puta mai ana i ngā mahi o mua, kia mahia he mahi hei aukati i te tūkinotanga, kia kore rawa e pērā anō.
He aha ngā āhuatanga me wānanga?
He nui tonu ngā huarahi hei whakatutuki i ngā whāinga o runga ake nei. Ko tētahi, ko te whakatū mai i tētahi uiuinga tū motuhake hei wānanga i ngā āhuatanga e rārangi iho nei: a) ko ngā momo manaakitanga i tukuna ki ngā tamariki, ki ngā rangatahi, ki ngā tāngata whakaraerae ki roto i ngā whakahaere manaaki o te Kāwanatanga, arā i ngā hohipera mate hinengaro, i ngā hōpuni hauora, i ngā whare manaaki tamariki, i ngā whare herehere mō ngā rangatahi, i ngā whare whakaako tamariki hauā hoki; b) te whānuitanga o ngā mahi tūkino ā-tinana, ā-taitōkai, ā-hinengaro, me te whānuitanga hoki o te whakangongotanga, ki roto i ngā whakahaere manaaki o te Kāwanatanga; c) ngā pānga kino i pā ai ki ngā tāngata takitahi me ngā kāhui tāngata i ngā tikanga whakahaere mō te tuku i te tangata ki roto i ngā whakahaere manaaki o te Kāwanatanga, tae atu ki ngā kaitiaki tamariki whāngai me ngā wāhi hoki kei waho atu o ngā whare Kāwanatanga; d) te tōtika rānei o ngā ture, o ngā kaupapahere, o ngā mahi hoki o ia rā ki te tiaki i te hunga i tukuna ki roto i ngā whakahaere manaaki o te Kāwanatanga, arā ki te tiaki i a rātau i te tūkinotanga me ngā take pūnahanaha e hua ake ana; e) mehemea rānei i tōtika te aro me te whakautu, ā-pūnahanaha nei, ki ngā amuamu mō te tūkinotanga ki roto i ngā uiuinga, i ngā whakatewhatewhanga, i ngā whakahaere kooti.
Ko te mahi e whāia ana
Ko mātau tēnei, e rārangi iho nei ō mātau ingoa, e tono ana ki te Kāwanatanga māna e whakarite mai he uiuinga tū kaha, tū motuhake ki te rangahau i ngā āhuatanga o runga ake nei, ki te whai huarahi anō hoki e tukua ai ki ngā pārurenga o te tūkinotanga he whakapāha tūmatanui, he utu paremata hoki e ea ai ngā mahi kino i mahia ai ki a rātau.
Kei te tono mātau kia tere te whai wāhi mai a te Kāwanatanga ki te matapaki i te tikanga whakahaere mō ngā mahi nei. He mea nui kia mōhio ngā tāngata katoa o Aotearoa ki te whānuitanga o ngā mahi i mahia, ā, ki te mahi tahi hei aukati atu i ngā mahi tūkino i te tangata ki roto i ngā whakahaere manaaki o te Kāwanatanga ā muri ake nei. Me kōkiri ināianei.
Nā mātau
Paul Gibson Kaikōmihana Tika Tangata Hauā
Karen Johansen Kaikōmihana Tika Iwi Taketake
Dr Jackie Blue Kaikōmihana Whakaōrite Whakawhiwhinga Mahi
Dame Susan Devoy Kaikōmihana Whakawhanaunga-ā-Iwi
David Rutherford Kaikōmihana Matua mō ngā Tika Tangata
Richard Tankersley Kaikōmihana Tika Tangata
Judith Aitkin Public Sector Consultants Limited
Materoa Dodds He Tino Pūkenga Mātauranga Tāngata, Te Whare Wānanga o Awanuiarangi
Naida Glavish Hea Takirua, Te Rōpū Kaitiaki o Whānau Ora me te Rōpū Iwi mō Whānau Ora
Anne Helm Kaitohutohu, Capital & Coast Mental Health, Te Wāhanga ki ngā Warawara me ngā Mate Hinengaro Hauā
Professor Mark Henaghan Tumuaki o Te Tari Ture, Te Whare Wānanga o Otago
Prue Kapua Perehitini, Te Rōpū Wāhine Māori Toko i te Ora
David King Hea ā-Motu - Ngā Tāngata Tuatahi
Vivien Maidaborn Te Tumu Whakarae, UNICEF
Dr Brigit Mirfin-Veitch Kaiwhakahaere, Donald Beasley Institute
Rahui Papa Hea Takirua, Te Rōpū Kaitiaki o Whānau Ora me te Rōpū Iwi mō Whānau Ora
Pati Umaga Perehitini, Te Kāhui o ngā Tāngata Hauā
Dr Kim Workman Kim Workman and Associates