Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in Care Survivor Event

In addition to survivors, I acknowledge also their supporters here today, former Commissioners, former Senior Inquiry Staff, and Decommissioning Team members.

You are all most welcome. It is a great privilege for Richard and me to host people who have made such a huge contribution to the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in Care.

When the Inquiry began in 2018, my predecessor, Dame Patsy Reddy was Governor-General. Six years later, the final report was presented to me, in June this year.

The length of the inquiry is not surprising, given that tens of thousands of survivors and their whānau are living with the impacts of trauma suffered in care. 

So much human potential has been wasted. So many generations have experienced callous indifference to their physical, emotional and spiritual wellbeing. We have seen Māori, Pasifika and disability children disproportionately affected, as well as people from many other communities.

On behalf of all New Zealanders, I want to thank everyone associated with the Royal Commission for taking on the challenge of making the invisible visible; for taking our nation to task; and for making it clear how we can and must forestall such catastrophes in the future.

Survivors here today know what it’s like to wait for so many years to be heard and believed.

You have carried the burden of a nightmare of memories, where you were powerless to escape the inhumanity inflicted on you in institutions and foster care – when complaints were either ignored, punished with further deprivation, or resulted in relocation to even worse situations.

Only you will know the effects of that trauma on your sense of self, your health, your trust in others, and your dreams for the future.

Your presence here today is testament to your courage and resilience. You have beaten the odds, and I applaud your determination to ensure that other people will not have to endure the same trauma.

Thank you for placing your trust in the Royal Commission. In speaking your truth to power, I hope the truth has set you free.

You will know other survivors who couldn’t bring themselves to speak up. Their reluctance to engage with yet another public institution was understandable, given their experiences.

You will also know survivors who might have participated in the Inquiry, had they lived long enough to see their experiences heard and vindicated.

I hope there will be some comfort in knowing they would be proud of what you have achieved. Your experiences are now part of the national record, and your insights have informed the Royal Commission’s recommendations and vision for the future of care.

In the past, you may have felt isolated by your experiences. I hope that you now feel the support of people who share and understand what you have been through.

Like you all, I hope this Inquiry will be the catalyst for widespread change in social welfare, the disability sector, mental health, education, law enforcement and pastoral care.

My wish is that in the future, people will look back and see a huge shift in thinking about the wellbeing of children and young people in New Zealand.

I am particularly drawn to a survivors’ vision of the future, expressed so perfectly in He Māra Tipu, and I quote: an Aotearoa New Zealand where every child, young person and adult is loved, safe and cared for in a manner that supports their growth and development into a thriving contributor to society. 

If this is our over-riding goal – and surely it must be – then New Zealanders have a collective responsibility to do what is necessary to uphold the mana of everyone, in all their diversity, and whatever their needs and circumstances.

Today, I am hosting you in my role as Governor-General, but also as a mother and grandmother, a former Children’s Commissioner, social worker and public health administrator. 

I am looking forward to meeting you and hearing more about your experiences and your views about how Aotearoa New Zealand can right the wrongs of the past; make care safe for our young people; and empower communities to be part of that process.

I am also looking forward to hearing Fa’amoana Luafutu perform and seeing survivors’ art. Words cannot always express what we might want to say, but the creative spark within us finds other ways of making sense of experience.

Someone who does have words for us today is Frances Tagaloa [pron: Tung-a-loa] – a survivor of abuse in faith-based care, a former advisory group member to the Commission, a co-chair of the Survivor Experiences Services and a board member of the survivor arts collective, Te Roopu Toiora.

My thanks to you Frances, and I now invite you to share your thoughts about that journey.