It has been five and a half years since the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in Care was established to investigate the abuse of children, young people, and vulnerable adults within state and faith-based institutions. Yesterday, the final report - Whanaketia through pain and trauma, from darkness to light - was presented to Parliament.

“First and foremost, today is about acknowledging the nearly 3000 survivors who were brave enough to share their stories in the hope of making Aotearoa a safer place for our mokopuna.” Said Te Pāti Māori spokesperson for Oranga Tamariki, Mariameno Kapa-Kingi.

“My hope is that we see the full whakapapa of this report, as opposed to just the letters and numbers on the paper. That we see the sickening irony of the phrase “abuse, in care”.

“These institutions were entrusted to care for our tamariki, rangatahi, and pakeke, yet they actively put our most vulnerable in harm’s way.”

“Māori survivors experienced harsher treatment because of overt racism. They were denied access to mātauranga, tikanga, reo Māori, and the ability to connect to their whakapapa, sometimes violently.”

“The report notes that New Zealand’s care system is fundamentally broken beyond repair. Survivors want to see transformational change to ensure the end of state-sponsored abuse.”

“The best chance we have of protecting our tamariki from state abuse is to keep them out in the first place. Our tamariki Māori currently make up 70% of those in state custody and further, they make up 80% of those currently abused by the state.”

“It is disgusting that this government is in the process of repealing section 7AA of the Oranga Tamariki Act despite clear evidence that it was doing its job – keeping tamariki Māori out of state care.”

“We must burn this rotten institution to the ground. Relevant communities, including iwi, hapū, and whānau must be resourced to shape the destinies of their own babies.

“For us, this looks like a Mokopuna Māori Authority, which will prioritise indigenous care models and empower communities.”Said Kapa-Kingi.

© Scoop Media