Crown apology: Three voices from NZ’s shameful recent past

Keith Wiffin says the Government needs to commit to concrete timelines for redress
We’ve heard those words from the state before, and they are meaningless because they have not resulted in change or progress.
We are called survivors, but firstly I would like to acknowledge and honour the very many who have not survived – their families and whānau – many taking their own lives, many having their lives shortened by the serious health issues related to being abused in care, many not surviving the ill-treatment. Their spirits are with us today.
Today is a monumental and milestone day for the thousands of survivors, their families and whānau who have suffered abuse and neglect in care. It has take far too long to come about, primarily because up to this point, the focus of both the state and faith-based authorities and institutions has been to invest in avoiding taking responsibility, denial and determined efforts to see that survivors do not get meaningful redress.
Today is also a hugely important day in our country’s history, as it continues to come to grips with the atrocities and scale of the tragedy, outlined by the Royal Commission, which has so impacted our nation – the enormity of the impact not yet fully understood. It has ripped families and communities apart, trapping many into a life of prison incarceration, leaving many uneducated and ill-equipped to cope in the outside world. It has tarnished out international reputation as an upholder of human rights, something our country likes to dine out on.
Today’s speech by the Prime Minister is an opportunity to bring about some healing, relief and comfort. To achieve this, he must connect with survivors as being genuine and sincere, by committing to timelines to deliver redress for all those who have suffered. Survivors have witnessed a Royal Commission of Inquiry play out for six years. It’s three years since the state was given recommendations for a redress scheme, but still we have nothing.
The public of this country have invested heavily in this inquiry and like us they expect outcomes. Prime Minister: Your speech at the tabling of the Royal Commission’s final report was applauded, and in my opinion, rightly so. You gave hope and raised expectations would soon be delivered. It is time to deliver. For the words to have meaning you and your Government must act. Do the right thing.
Today I’m hoping to hear a vision for the future, one that recognises that what has gone before has utterly failed, and, as a result, we still have terrible rates of abuse today. Rangatahi are just as affected as survivors of my generation. We need to do things fundamentally different to have better outcomes and we need to address the root causes as to hy our young go into care in the first place. A new way forward cannot be developed by officials alone. There needs to be direct involvement by survivors to lead the way.
There will always be a need for safe haven for our most vulnerable. But, ultimately, it is the system itself that has failed us, and is the problem. It is far more beneficial and cost effective to invest in alternatives, such as resourcing families, whānau, hapū and communities to look after their own, poverty being a major determinant to so many going into care.
All survivors need to feel included in today’s apology. That means all those who have been in faith-based care and state. You must hold churches and faith-based organisations to account, and compel them to do what’s right, as the state has an obligation to all children under its roof. The reckless, negligent manner in which the institutions were misadministered has led to the scale of the tragedy that we now face.
Hopefully today is a day for survivors to cherish and savour. Kia kaha, noho ora mai.
Fa’afete Taito called on the Government to do more than just say ‘sorry’
“Ma lo lavo…. Tena tatou katoa, greetings.
“First of all, I want to acknowledge those survivors who have left to join their ancestors. Rest easy. Moe mai ra. I want to acknowledge all the survivors in this room, those listening in from connecting events in Tamaki Makaurau, Ōtautahi and here in Whanganui a Tara. 
“I would also like to mihi to the New Zealand collective of abuse in state care, also known as New Zealand CAST, for organizing a survivor-led event at Pipitea Marae as an alternative venue for watching this historical moment in time, and for all the essential support and mahi they continue to provide. 
“There are many survivors present that have fought tirelessly for this day to arrive. We all know of Paul Zentveld and the mahi he did to highlight the torture and abuse that occurred at Lake Alice. And there’s Hake Halo, who I believe is in Tamaki Makaurau, who sent a letter to his mum by drawing a stickman cartoon character with a caption saying, ‘Mum, the man is putting wires in my head from a machine and it hurts’, which initiated the beginning and the end of Lake Alice. 
“There’s also Leonie McInroe, who started the first civil litigation against the Crown for the horrendous abuse and torture she suffered at Lake Alice, only to be stonewalled by the Crown’s tactics for over nine years, and she’s still continuing to fight for justice. I want to acknowledge Albie Epere and April Mokomoko whose heartbreaking interview led to many coming forward at the beginning of the Royal Commission of Inquiry. 
“Also those in the faith based survivor community, like Darryl Smith, Eddie Marriott and their fellow students, for bringing on to the open the atrocities and despicable acts of abuse at Maryland’s Saint John of God institution. Not to forget my sister, Pacific sister, Francis Tagaloa, who was always reminding us that it wasn’t only the State, it was also the faith based institutions. Paura moio, the sister who always speaks from the hip, keeping the Royal Commission of Inquiry on their toes. Kath Coster and her survivor ribbons, ngā mihi ki a koe. 
“And I’ll always stand in support of our gang whānau, whom thousands of us joined after we were abused and neglected by the state. I was one of them. 
“So many survivors to thank, and to each and every one of our thousands of brave survivors who came forward to recount your story of abuse to the Royal Commission of Inquiry, I say in my language, fa’afetai, fa’afetai, fa’afetai lava. Thank you, thank you, thank you. Without you, there would have been no today. And to all those thousands of survivors who, for whatever reason, did not come forward, we did it for you. We’re here for you. Kia kaha. 
“Over the past four months, two taonga pieces were produced to forever represent survivors of abuse in care. These were made by two wahine survivors. 
“Nga rako rikiriki was written by te pare maehanga. It is a book of poems that recounts and represents the survivors’ stories. Deeply personal, often harrowing reading. If you get a chance, sit with it and be grateful that it wasn’t you. It echoes the sentiments that if survivors have been nurtured and loved, cared for by the state, instead of discarded and ignored, we could have reached our full potential. But we weren’t, and here we are today. 
“He kākano i ruia mai i Rangiātea. It means the sacred seeds that had descended from the Heavens produced by Charmaine Anaru of Oamaru stone and totora. It speaks to the innocence and purity of newborn babies with a scent that is bestowed upon us all at birth. The bottom half of the sacred seed is woven muka thread extracted from the harakeke. This represents how survivors are connected from all walks of life. 
“The tu ta ngako woven kete on the side of the seed and holds the bravery, courage and strength of survivors as we endured some of the most horrific and despicable acts of abuse that left a lifetime of trauma. The cavern has a rough exterior, similar to that which we have built as survivors to protect us from what we had to endure. The pau pau are carved depicting the mangopare: the hammerhead shark. The mangopare lives in deepest and darkest waters unchallenged. 
“The taonga has a mauri that needs to be kept alive and not put into some back room to collect dust. I appeal to the Prime Minister and the lead minister, Erica Stanford, to commit resources so the taonga can travel around the regions, a tangible action that will allow survivors to come together in a meaningful way, to support one another under the mauri of the taonga. Taonga, like survivors, must not be shut in the dark. They can act as a conduit to bring our whānau into the light. 
“Many of us have learned to live with our undiagnosed trauma to the point it became part of who we are. Six years ago, the royal commission of inquiry came along, and survivors were asked to tell these stories as part of the evidential collection process. 
“Many of us were conflicted to do so, myself included. On the one hand, we had buried the trauma and just wanted to leave it there. It hurts to dig around the pain. But beyond that, what we wanted and needed, we’re owed some accountability for what had happened to us. So we took the first steps, and today we will finally see what accountability looks like. 
“I know that for my survivor whānau, there are huge expectations for this day and beyond, the most important being that the redress will include an outcome that will keep our mokopuna safe from any more harm. That is the one non-negotiable. You, the state, must commit to that.
“My brothers and sisters of te whānau morehu, we can’t do anything about the abuse that we suffered at the hands of the state, but we can be responsible for our healing. Regardless of what happens today, it is our collective power that will contribute most to our healing journey. We owe that to ourselves.
“To the other side of this shit fight, you, the state: you owe us, too. It’s not enough to say ‘sorry’. As any good parent knows, it’s what you do to heal the wounds of your actions and make sure it never happens again that really counts. 
“Make it count.”
Tu Chapman spoke to a Prime Minister who wasn’t there
“Kei aku rangatira, koutou o Te Whare Mōrehu nei rā tō rahi e tū whakahīhī, e tū whakaiti nei, e mōteatea e tangihakū tonu ki ngā pēhitanga kua pā nei ki te tuakiritanga o tō mātou nei āo. Kei ngā kāwai hekenga koutou ngā morehu – tēnei te reo rāhiri, tēnei te reo aroha tēnei te ira o te tangata hāere ake nei.
“Five minutes. That’s what each of us have been given, to speak on behalf of tens of thousands of survivors in response to today’s apologies.
“Five minutes – for decades of abuse, neglect and torture – by those running state, church and faith-based organisations.
“Five minutes is all this regime has afforded us to respond – to a Prime Minister’s apology we haven’t even heard yet!
“It is a clear signal of how important the voices of survivors really are to this Government. We should not be celebrating. This date and apology has been decades in the making. But Prime Minister – you only confirmed your attendance to listen to us yesterday! That tells us something.
“So, this is not survivors’ response. Its our challenge, Prime Minister – as we count down the minutes to your speech.
“’Survivor voices’ is how we have been framed in the official programme but right now I feel alone and in utter despair at the way in which this Government has undertaken the task of acknowledging all survivors.
“Once again – like our decades of fight – we are having to validate our care experiences and our existence. Prime Minister, since the tabling of Whanaketia in July and leading up to today, your Government has continued to divide us survivors by picking and choosing when you want our insights and when you don’t.
“We fear too you will pick and choose recommendations from Whanaketia – when Commissioners and survivors are all calling for a full implementation. Whanaketia clearly and prominently tells your Government what you must do. Without delay. You owe us, right now.
“We continue living with the decimation of our identities, the raping and pillaging of our cultures through incompetent decision making and the intentional moves to invalidate our experiences.
“The clear and utter destruction of lives cannot be down played nor can it be swept under the carpet, as the state, churches and faith-based organisations have done for decades. You’ve caused significant intergenerational trauma and suffering, that continues to happen today.
“We are done with you wasting our time tinkering around with policy, hui after hui, and cabinet papers that are not transformative.
“We did not have the luxury of having to think it through, we didnt have an option to have hui about it, for the sexual, physical,emotional, psychological and spiritual abuses we have and continue to suffer.
“Prime Minister, in July you said “when you try to speak up those same people turned a blind eye, they covered it up, and they prevented you from seeking justice for far too long” but we are still speaking up, yet we are still waiting. Don’t repeat those same grave mistakes Prime Minister.
“We are done with your ivory tower mentality. No compassion, no care, no thought for the impact on us. Kā tangihakū tonu mātou. Do not play politics with our lives.
“Prime Minister, in July, you also said “The state is now standing here beside you, accountable and ready to take action” What is the action? Stop the tinkering. Trust us. Trust our whānau and communities.
“You want the economy and society to grow? Grow us. Help us thrive. Give us what we need, so we can contribute. We have the answers. Prime Minister – put your money where your mouth is.
“E te kawana! Whakamutua ēnei mahi tūkino. Stop continuing to abuse us.
“To our future mokopuna, may you never have to suffer the pain and trauma we have had to endure for decades.
“No reira, kua huri te tai, kei konei mātou e whakakanohi i te kaupapa mō ake tonu atu, he kura manene, he kura tangata, he kura mōrehu – e rongo whakairihia ki runga, turuturu o whiti whakamaua kia tina. Hui e tāiki e.”