The bishops and congregational leaders of the Catholic Church in Aotearoa New Zealand will closely study the interim redress report of the Royal Commission into Abuse in Care and look at how they can implement the recommendations.
The report — He Purapura Ora, he Māra Tipu; from Redress to Puretumu — was tabled in Parliament on December 15, and it makes recommendations on how survivors of abuse in state and faith-based care should be heard and get redress for the harm suffered.
It has been welcomed by the New Zealand Catholic Bishops Conference (representing the country’s Catholic bishops), the Congregational Leaders Conference of Aotearoa New Zealand (representing Catholic religious orders and similar entities) and Te Rōpū Tautoko (the group formed to coordinate Catholic engagement with the royal commission).
Sister Margaret Anne Mills, president of the Congregational Leaders Conference, said: “I welcome this report and acknowledge the harm suffered by survivors of abuse and proposed actions to address and provide redress. We see the report as part of the vision to transform what we are doing today and into the future.”
Cardinal John Dew, president of the NZCBC, said: “We have been listening closely to what survivors have been telling the royal commission. We have previously indicated our support for the establishment of an independent redress scheme. This report gives a series of recommendations we can study to help us as we walk alongside survivors of abuse.”
Catherine Fyfe, Chair of Te Rōpū Tautoko, said: “Te Rōpū Tautoko members thank the commissioners for their work in preparing this report and look forward to helping Church leaders along the journey of reviewing and implementing the recommendations.”
The Church has been working proactively while waiting for the commission’s report. Te Rōpū Tautoko has created a roadmap of work that needs doing across all areas of the Church to make improvements in response to reports or disclosures of abuse in the care of the Catholic Church.
“Setting it out in the roadmap makes it clear to everyone the work that is needed and the progress being made,” said Catherine Fyfe. “This provides a sense of transparency and accountability.”
According to a statement by Public Service Minister Chris Hipkins and Internal Affairs Minister Jan Tinetti, the Government is starting work on developing a new, independent, survivor-focused redress system.
“The new system will be designed from the ground up in collaboration with Māori, who were heavily over-represented in state and faith-based care. The collaborative design will also be guided by the views of survivors and key communities, including Pacific peoples and disabled people,” Mr Hipkins said.
“The Government is moving on this now, before the royal commission finishes its other investigations, because we want to minimise delays for survivors who are waiting for their claims to be resolved. We are conscious of the age and ill-health of many of the survivors who suffered abuse at a time when care was heavily institutionalised.
“The royal commission has flagged areas where urgent action is needed before a new system is in place, such as advance payments for older or terminally ill survivors. They will be prioritised,” Mr Hipkins said.
Early next year, discussions will begin with key interested parties on options for how the collaborative design process could work, before the detailed design process begins in mid-2022.
The aim is for final decisions about the new system to be made by Cabinet around mid-2023, with the new system to be introduced soon after that.
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