The Royal Commission’s final report has been presented to Parliament and made available on the Royal Commission's website: Home | Abuse in Care - Royal Commission of Inquiry.

The Royal Commission’s final report – (Whanaketia – through pain and trauma, from darkness to light) is a report of historical significance to Aotearoa New Zealand. It is the result of the largest and most complex public inquiry ever held in New Zealand.

Officials will work across Government to provide Ministers an initial assessment of the final report and recommendations to Cabinet in the coming months.

Minister for Māori Development, Hon Tama Potaka is one of several Ministers on the ministerial group for the Crown response to the abuse in care inquiry, and will continue to be actively involved in the response.

Te Puni Kōkiri has been an active member of the government cross-agency response to the abuse in care Inquiry since the Royal Commission was first established in 2018.

This has included providing information and evidence to assist with the Royal Commission by providing relevant historical documents and given evidence at public hearings.

Te Puni Kokiri was a member of the Crown Response Māori Working Group that commissioned the research on Māori in state care, reported on in the report Hāhā-uri, hāhā- tea: Māori in state care 1950 to 1999.

Officials from Te Puni Kōkiri will continue to be closely involved in the government response to the findings of the Royal Commission and its recommendations.

More information

Prime Minister’s Speech 24 July 2024

PM speech to Parliament – Royal Commission of Inquiry’s Report into Abuse in Care | Beehive.govt.nz

Joint Press Release Prime Minister/Minister Stanford: Acknowledgement of torture at Lake Alice

Government acknowledges torture at Lake Alice | Beehive.govt.nz

Joint Press Release Prime Minister/Minister Stanford Acknowledgement of survivors

Government acknowledges courageous abuse survivors | Beehive.govt.nz

Announcement of a public apology 12 November 2024

The Prime Minister announced he will deliver a public apology on 12 November 2024. The announcement was in a post-Cabinet press conference on 22 July that can be found here, however it is cut and pasted below for ease of reading:

“……, I just have one more announcement to make, and that is that three weeks ago the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Historical Abuse in State Care and in the Care of Faith based Institutions delivered its final report to the Governor-General. This marks the end of the largest and most complex public inquiry ever held in New Zealand, and I do want to personally acknowledge the courage of nearly 3,000 survivors, who shared their experiences of abuse and neglect with the commission and contributed to this important work. There are two significant milestones I want to talk to today. Firstly, the report and its recommendations will be made public when the report is presented to Parliament this Wednesday, 24 July. And this will be a significant milestone for survivors of abuse in care and their families. And, secondly, it is important the Crown addresses and acknowledges the experiences of abuse in care at a national level. And today I’m announcing that I will make the public apology here at Parliament on 12 November. The Government, of course, will invite cross-party representation at the event, and more information will be made available in the coming months.”