The Abuse in Care Royal Commission of Inquiry’s Māori public hearing will finish tomorrow with a panel discussion. The panel will be made up of five representatives who will speak from different lived experiences. Some are survivors, and others have worked with survivors and in the State care system.

Panellists have been listening to evidence shared by witnesses across the two-week hearing. During the discussion they will provide context to the lived experiences shared by survivors. Panellists will explore what a transformed State care system could look like for Māori.

Professor Tracey Macintosh MNZM will facilitate the kōrero with Paora Moyle, Gary Williams, Tupua Urlich, Denise Messiter and Hera Clarke.

Some of the themes of the Māori public hearing have been:

• Racism in care
• Intergenerational trauma
• Contemporary experiences of abuse in care.

You can watch and report from this panel discussion using the livestream, from 10am-1pm tomorrow (Friday 18 March).

PANELLISTS

Paora Moyle (Ngāti Porou) is a survivor of both State and faith-based abuse and has 30 years’ experience as a social worker. She was a lead claimant in the Waitangi Tribunal Oranga Tamariki inquiry. She is currently studying towards a doctorate in child trauma and State care. Over many years, Paora has used her lived experience to support other survivor whānau. She was one of the authors of the 2021 Hāhā-uri, hāhā-tea – Māori Involvement in State Care 1950-1999 report.

Gary Williams MNZM has been influential in driving change for disabled people and Māori for more than 40 years. He is a proud trustee of Ngā Hau e Whā National Marae in Ōtautahi, and other NGOs. Gary is a member of the Royal Commission’s Survivor Advisory Group of Experts.

Tupua Urlich (Ngāti Kahungunu ki Heretaunga) is a survivor, who was in State care from the age of five to 15. He uses his experience of the State care system to advocate for change, so rangatahi today do not have to experience what he did.

Denise Messiter (Ngāti Pūkenga ki Waiau) has a background in Māori and indigenous peoples development and has worked alongside indigenous communities in South Africa and Australia to implement social and economic solutions that seek to reclaim their independence. Denise is the general manager of Te Whāriki Mana Wāhine o Hauraki, supporting whānau who have lived experience of mahi tūkino - or domestic and sexual violence, and abuse in care - to design their healing pathways using tāngata whenua approaches that focus on restoring mana. Denise has a background in counselling with a focus on sexual violence.

Hera Clarke (Te Aupōuri, Ngāpuhi, Ngāti Porou) has an extensive background as a social worker and counsellor.

She has experience in senior management with Ministry of Social Development, Oranga Tamariki and its predecessor Child Youth and Family. Hera has led family and sexual violence programmes and been a social work lecturer at Unitech teaching family systems and te Tiriti o Waitangi. She has held senior roles in the Anglican Church.

FACILITATORS

Professor Tracey McIntosh MNZM (Ngāi Tūhoe) is Professor of Indigenous Studies and Co-Head of Te Wānanga o Waipapa at the University of Auckland.She has worked many years with incarcerated whānau, particularly with wāhine Māori, with a focus on addressing issues of poverty, inequality and social justice. She recognises the significance of working with those that have lived experiences of incarceration and marginalisation and acknowledges them as experts of their own condition. Tracey is the Chief Science Advisor to the Ministry of Social Development and is a Commissioner at the Criminal Cases Review Commission. She has previously taught in the sociology and criminology programme at the University of Auckland.

© Scoop Media