Cooper Legal celebrates and welcomes the tabling of the Royal Commission’s final report, Whanaketia – through pain and trauma, from darkness to light (“Whanaketia”), but also remembers those survivors who have died waiting for accountability.

Cooper Legal acknowledges the mana, integrity and authority of the Commissioners and their final report, Whanaketia. Cooper Legal recognises the courage survivors have shown in sharing their stories and trusting the Government to listen and act.

Sonja Cooper, Principal Partner at Cooper Legal, says: “Whanaketia will confirm the horrific, abusive and inhumane past and present of State and faith-based care. The Government must adopt the Royal Commission’s recommendations immediately to stop horrific and inhumane abuse being repeated. It has instead adopted a misconceived self-serving response to date,” says Sonja Cooper. “Hopefully, Christopher Luxon will not repeat Chris Hipkins's mistake of not taking immediate bold, evidence-based action”.

“While the upfront costs of investing in effective redress and support for survivors in line with the Royal Commission’s detailed recommendations will be significant, the costs of failing to act will be much higher, for both survivors and taxpayers, including increasing crime, addiction and unemployment, and continuing a vicious cycle of institutionalisation and incarceration for survivors.

“The Government’s current policy concerning boot camps for children and repealing s 7AA will lie in stark contrast to the evidence-based solutions Whanaketia will no doubt outline. These policies will continue abuse in State care and make youth crime worse.

“Today needs to be the day the Government faces survivors, listens and takes swift action to implement the Royal Commission’s recommendations. Failing to immediately commit to the entirety of the Royal Commission’s recommendations would be spitting in the faces and graves of survivors, and ignoring the clear need for urgency of action,” says Sonja Cooper.

Sam Benton, Partner at Cooper Legal, adds: “This Government and the previous Government have already failed to act on the Royal Commission’s detailed recommendations made in December 2021. There can be no more excuses. Now is the time to put things right. Today we will unquestionably know the full extent of the horrific abuse and neglect suffered by hundreds of thousands of survivors and their whānau, and the blame will undoubtedly lie at the very highest levels of all our trusted institutions. Today, we listen, and learn, and grieve. Tomorrow, we must act, without any further delay.”

© Scoop Media