What you need to know ahead of the abuse in care inquiry report
The report comes to about 3,000 pages and contains dozens of heartbreaking stories.
Mōrena, and welcome to The Bulletin for Wednesday, July 24.
In today’s edition: The Warehouse considers a private equity buyout, a powerful story on the grief of baby loss and infertility, and a new poll shows Kamala Harris ahead of Donald Trump. But first, the final report of the Royal Commission into Abuse in Care will be made public this afternoon.
An important day
At 4pm today, as parliament gathers, the final report from the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in Care will be made public. In Christopher Luxon’s words, it has been the “largest and most complex public inquiry ever held in New Zealand”. It’s taken nearly six years to reach this point, but the findings are extensive. The report comes to about 3,000 pages (which, when printed, weighs roughly 14 kilograms) and contains dozens of heartbreaking stories and hopeful recommendations for the future. Aaron Smale has covered the inquiry in impressive detail and writes for Newsroom that while the report is being released today, the full implications of it will not be sufficiently digested in the hours or even days subsequent.
But, there will be some immediate questions that need answers – such as around compensation and culpability. We already know the prime minister will lead a formal government apology to the hundreds of thousands of victims in November this year. We’ll delve into some of the outstanding questions tomorrow morning once we’ve had a chance to see the report. For now, here is what we know so far.
A ‘chance to confront our history’
Formally established in February 2018 by the last Labour government, the Royal Commission was initially expected only to examine circumstances between 1950 and 1999 where the state directly ran institutions involved in the care of children. "This is a chance to confront our history and make sure we don't make the same mistakes again,” said then-prime minister Jacinda Ardern. In November of that year, the terms of reference were extended to include faith-based institutions. It’s estimated that as many as 250,000 children may have been abused, thus the name of The Spinoff’s series exploring the ramifications of the inquiry: The Quarter Million. In 2022, The Spinoff’s Reweti Kohere launched that series with a comprehensive feature on why the inquiry is so critical, and why New Zealand’s history is tarnished by the actions of those charged with looking after our most vulnerable. It’s a tough read, as it should be.
At the time that feature was published, shortly before public hearings concluded, about 2,200 people had already shared their experiences through private sessions, written accounts and witness statements. More than a million documents had been analysed. It’s understandable, then, why the release of today’s report has been delayed several times – though the Royal Commission has already made some recommendations, most notably in a 2021 interim report looking at potential redress for survivors.
Powerful, heart-wrenching stories
Thousands of people were interviewed as part of the inquiry, and their stories will form the backbone of the final report as well. Some of those will be revealed for the first time in grim detail at 4pm today, while others have already been reported in the media. As part of The Spinoff’s Quarter Million series, we reported on the “hellhole” that was Levin’s Kimberley Centre – one of the largest specialist institutions for New Zealanders with an intellectual disability – where children were given medication that made them “like zombies”. At Whakapakari camp on Great Barrier Island, The Spinoff’s Tommy de Silva described a “wilderness boot camp” where “punishment was abundant while food and running water were scarce”.
Erica Stanford, the minister overseeing the response to the Royal Commission, said that today will be a significant day for survivors and promised they would be heard, 1News reported.
What the response might look like
The apology later in the year will form one part of the redress. But the wider – and less public – response will have to be more substantive, as Elizabeth Stanley writes for Newsroom. The report is expected to make dozens of recommendations. This analysis by academic Stephen Winter for The Spinoff considers what could be made available to survivors and their families, following the release of an interim report in 2021, noting that harm suffered can go beyond purely the physical and mental and become intergenerational. The Pacific Media Network has looked at this as well. “Particularly with our Pacific communities, shame is a multi-layered thing, and it’s very tricky to deal with,” said criminology professor Tamasailau Suaalii-Sauniand. “We need to have intergenerational conversations that can be healing.”
But how might the government choose to address this? A proactively released cabinet paper gives some brief insight. Erica Stanford told cabinet it was “critical” to give “careful consideration to these recommendations given the scale and nature of abuse”. In acknowledging the need for an apology, the minister said there were “complexities” around apologising for historic abuse in care when abuse is occurring in the care system today. “Officials are reviewing the approach taken in other jurisdictions to managing this same issue.”
Crucially, Stanford also said any response would need to be considered in the light of “work programmes currently under way and government priorities”. That presents a potentially tricky tightrope for the government to walk. The report, which will include details of abuse suffered by young people attending military-style programmes, is being released within a week of the launch of the government’s so-called “boot camps” scheme, as Newsroom’s Emma Hatton reported last week. It also comes alongside the proposed removal of section 7AA of the Oranga Tamariki Act which, argued Luke Fitzmaurice-Brown for The Spinoff last year, was designed to protect Māori children – a group today’s report will almost certainly show disproportionately represented in the harrowing statistics.
With the report released at 4pm, join us on The Spinoff for comprehensive coverage as the inquiry’s findings and recommendations are made public. And tomorrow morning in The Bulletin, I’ll share some of the most important reads on the report along with any new developments.
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Johvah’s Witnesses lose last minute appeal to block parts of abuse inquiry
The Jehovah’s Witness have failed in a last minute bid to have parts of the abuse in care inquiry – those relating to the Christian group – blocked from release, RNZ reported. It’s part of a long-running legal effort to keep details from the Royal Commission out of the public eye. Justice Cooke declined the application due to the "considerable public interest" in the report, said RNZ, and the fact they had waited until the final moment. "Publicising the section of the report dealing with the issue of abuse by members of the Jehovah's Witnesses faith will likely have a reputational impact on the appellant, and the faith more generally."
In response, a spokesperson for the Australasian Branch of Jehovah's Witnesses said in a statement: "We have serious concerns about the accuracy of the report regarding Jehovah's Witnesses and have no choice but to resort to court to address these issues.”
The Warehouse considers private equity buyout
Last week’s Bulletin on the state of The Warehouse was one of the most read this year, which suggests there’s a bit of interest in what happens next. Yesterday, as Stuff’s Aimee Shaw reported, it was revealed The Warehouse Group may have found a buyer in the form of Australia private equity firm Adamantem Capital. Significantly, this would see the company de-listed from the NZX and returned to private ownership. The company’s founder Stephen Tindall, who would retain a shareholding, has welcomed the offer. It’s not the only private equity offer on the table at the moment, as BusinessDesk’s Rebecca Stevenson (paywalled) explains. Retirement chain Arvida is also considering a buyout bid. “With a weakened economy at the bottom of the cycle, firms undervalued by markets are juicy targets for private equity players,” Stevenson writes.
Alex Casey considers death and personal admin
What would happen if you died? Or couldn't work? Alex Casey frets about these things constantly. And also has a deep aversion to personal admin. "Sprinkle all those worries with a cost of living crisis... and whether or not I need life insurance is frankly the very last thing I want to be thinking about in 2024."
In this story though, Alex does. Does she need it? Will it allow her to live forever? Or take care of her UTI prone dog for the rest of time? Find out, here. (sponsored)
What you should be reading from Death Week
In case you’ve missed it, The Spinoff is exploring issues related to mortality all week. Here are some of the must reads from Death Week.
This powerful Cover Story from Gabi Lardies published this morning on the grief of baby loss and infertility.
Our cost of living series has had a short rebrand as the cost of dying. First up, breaking down the expenses of two recent funerals.
Click and Collect
In light of the Royal Commission report, I recommend this story from RNZ about an intersex woman unable to give testimony during the inquiry, and why this left her feeling retraumatised.
Sir Robert Martin was a survivor of abuse in care who was integral in fighting for an inquiry. He passed away while waiting for redress and an apology. One of his meeting assistants, Alexia Black, remembers him.
The prime minister’s been accused of “ducking for cover” from the media by opting to scale back on the opportunities for journalists to question him.
The Commerce Commission considers reducing Visa and Mastercard fees. I’d like to look at this subject in a bit more depth for a future Bulletin – let me know what you think in the comments.
Darleen Tana returned to parliament yesterday but was relegated to political Siberia. Tova O’Brien asks: Why do MPs dig in after being publicly disgraced and humiliated?
A new poll out this morning shows Kamala Harris ahead of Donald Trump. Meanwhile, CNN looks at who could potentially end up as Harris’s pick for vice president.
Hera Lindsay Bird wonders what the hell’s going on with St John New Zealand. Alex Casey is back with the latest power rankings for reality show The Traitors NZ. Bella Ireland talks to rower Tom Mackintosh about the mental game required to compete in the Olympics. Nick Iles tours Wellington's best bánh mì.
That’s it for today, thanks for reading. I’ll see you back here tomorrow morning.
Let me know in the comments, or get in touch with me at thebulletin@thespinoff.co.nz, if you have any feedback on today’s issue or anything in the news.
If you liked what you read today, share The Bulletin with friends, family and colleagues.
Definitely keen for you to dig into this.
Just been in the UK and Spain for 3 weeks, everyone takes contactless payments, no-one charges extra for the privilege. Maybe that means the fees are already incorporated into the prices?