Government declines or defers half of abuse inquiry recommendations

The Royal Commission into Historical Abuse in State Care and in the Care of Faith-based Institutions made 95 recommendations in its 2021 redress report and a further 138 in its final report in 2024. Of the 233 recommendations overall, 207 are addressed to the Crown; of these, 85 have been either accepted, partially accepted or the Government has accepted the intent.

“We know the Crown’s response will be ongoing given the number and complexity of recommendations. The Royal Commission estimated it could take up to 15 years,” said lead coordination Minister for the Government Response to the Royal Commission Erica Stanford.

“While we can never fully make redress for or right the harm survivors experienced, the Government remains committed to engaging with the Royal Commission’s report and recommendations in good faith and with careful consideration.”

Ms Stanford said the Government is “committed to continuing to respond to the Royal Commission of Inquiry with respect and dignity. To maintain transparency with our response, the Government’s released its Response Plan which lays out what work has already been completed and what work is still underway”.

The response by the Government is in three phases. The first, completed in June 2025, delivered public apologies and actions to acknowledge victims and survivors, aimed to improve record-keeping practices, made initial redress enhancements, took immediate action to strengthen safety in care and improve the justice system, and developed the overarching Crown response.

The second phase, between July 2025 and June 2027, will complete design and implementation of redress system changes, identify and implement any structural and system-level changes to care, and will continue improvements in care and in the justice system.

The final phase, from July 2027 onwards, will embed, monitor and review redress changes, continue identified structural and other system-level changes to care, as well as improvements in care and the justice system.

Among the actions implemented in phase one were a Budget 2025 investment of $533 million over four years for redress improvements, including increasing average payments and increasing the number of claims paid each year. Budget 2025 also invested $188 million over four years to improve the safety of children, young people and vulnerable people.

The Royal Commission recommended that the Government legislate to establish a new, independent and principles-based redress system. The Government declined this and some related recommendations as it decided to prioritise improving the existing system.

Concerning redress, the response document stated that further work is under way to consider eligibility matters.

“This includes considering whether access to the State redress system will be made available to survivors outside the core State care system. For example, survivors of abuse and neglect in schools not covered by the Ministry of Education’s . . . process, those in settings that Health New Zealand has responsibility for and survivors of faith-based or other non-governmental institutions. A response . . . on the roles and responsibilities of the Crown and faith-based institutions will follow decisions on these eligibility matters.”

Anyone who has a concern or complaint about abuse in a Catholic setting is encouraged to contact the Police or the Church’s National Office for Professional Standards on 0800 114 622.

FULL STORY

Crown continues to respond to royal commission on abuse in care (Beehive)

Crown response document (Beehive)

Crown response plan related documents (Beehive)