Today, Public Service Commissioner Sir Brian Roche made an apology to New Zealanders who were abused while in state care.
The Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in State Care and Faith Based organisations was established on 1 February 2018 to investigate children, young people, and vulnerable adults’ experiences of abuse and neglect in State and non-State care in Aotearoa New Zealand between the years of 1950-1999.
The Royal Commission ended on 25 June 2024. Its final report and recommendations Whanaketia – Through pain and trauma, from darkness to light Whakairihia ki te tihi o Maungārongo was publicly released on Wednesday 24 July.
One recommendation (3b) from the Report calls for: Public acknowledgements and apologies for historical abuse and neglect in the care of the State (both direct and indirectly provided care) and faith-based institutions should be made to survivors, their whānau and support networks by: public sector leaders, including the Public Service Commissioner, Solicitor-General, Commissioner of NZ Police and the Chief Executives of Oranga Tamariki, the Ministry of Social Development, the Ministry of Health, and the Ministry of Education.
Public Service Commissioner Sir Brian Roche gave his apology to survivors of abuse in state care, alongside other public sector leaders, at Parliament on 12 November 2024.
The Commissioner's apology is available on our website in English, Reo Māori, New Zealand Sign Language, Easy Read, large print and braille.
Public Service Commissioner’s apology to the survivors of abuse in state care
