New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon delivered a historic national apology on Tuesday to the survivors of abuse in state and faith-based institutions, marking a significant acknowledgment of the trauma suffered by hundreds of thousands over the past seven decades.
Addressing about 200 survivors and their families in Parliament, Luxon condemned the widespread abuse that spanned from 1950 to 2019, as revealed in a July report by a Royal Commission of Inquiry. “It was horrific. It was heartbreaking. It was wrong. And it should never have happened,” he stated solemnly. “Today, I am apologizing on behalf of the government to everyone who suffered abuse, harm, and neglect while in care. I make this apology to all survivors on behalf of my own and previous governments.”
The report disclosed that nearly 200,000 children and vulnerable adults in care had been subjected to physical and sexual abuse, with the worst abuses peaking in the 1970s. Cases of rape, forced sterilization, and electric shock treatments were among the harrowing findings.
The commission also highlighted the disproportionate suffering among Indigenous Maori individuals and those with disabilities. It put forth 138 recommendations, which included calling for apologies from global religious leaders like the Pope and the Archbishop of Canterbury and establishing mandatory reporting laws for suspected abuse cases, including admissions made during religious confession.
In response to the inquiry’s findings, the government has acted on 28 of the report’s recommendations and plans a full response by early next year. Luxon announced a new National Remembrance Day, set for November 12, to honor the victims, and added that New Zealand will remove memorials that honor known perpetrators and will instead commemorate the lives lost, including those in unmarked graves at former care facilities.
A new bill aimed at enhancing safety in state care is scheduled for its first reading in parliament on Tuesday.
