Survivors have the last say on the final day of hearings for the abuse in care Royal Commission of Inquiry

Friday, 21 October 2022

Commissioners for the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in Care listen as the last day of hearings comes to a close. (File photo)

As the final day of the Inquiry into Abuse in Care hearings drew to a close, Gary Williams reminded the Royal Commission of the children.

“Survivors started their journey as innocent, and through their journey they became punished, and punished, and punished again.

“I don’t want the babies born today or tomorrow to be survivors.”

Williams, a member of the Survivor Advisory Group, along with countless other survivors have shared their stories of abuse, discussed the consequences of their trauma, and listened to the responses from the state and faith-based institutions that enabled, perpetuated, and covered up their failings.

Gary Williams is looking forward to the recommendations from the commission.

* 'National disgrace': Abuse in care survivors failed by state, inquiry finds

* Survivors call for new Government entity to hear allegations of institutional child abuse**

Friday was the last day of the faith-based institution response hearing, the final of 14 public hearings that spanned 133 days, taking four years to complete and amassing 1,087 million documents.

The next phase of the commission’s work will be to make recommendations for the future of care in Aotearoa, and how the state and faith-based organisations will attempt to right the wrongs of the past – and the present.

Dr Christopher Longhurst says a real apology to individuals is needed from the faith-based institutions.

The Inquiry’s scope only focuses on abuse between 1950 and 1999, but the commission heard from multiple witnesses that abuse continues today.

Leader of the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (SNAP) Dr Christopher Longhurst told the commission that contemporary survivors regularly contacted him, showing that comments about safeguarding changes made by some faith-based institutions were still not enough.

“Abuse has been rife in Aotearoa New Zealand’s history. It is still rife today. We must recognise this and expose the darkness and the misuse of power that has allowed this.

“SNAP asks that survivors are given back this power that was taken from them without their consent.”

Longhurst asked the commission to consider statutory mandatory reporting of abuse, even through confessionals.

He also wanted operational and financial auditing from an independent authority to ensure accountability, with no second chances for abusers.

“Survivors get no second chances. They do not get a second chance at childhood, they cannot request a second chance to a life free of abuse.”

State abuse survivor Keith Wiffin talks about what he wants to see from the latest round of hearings by the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in Care, which focus on government agency responses. (First published August 2022.)

Survivor and member of the Gloriavale Leavers Trust, Rosaana Overcomer asked the commission to question what “corruption” allowed convicted sex-offender Neville Cooper, also known as Hopeful Christian, to become the founder of the Christian community with no barriers.

“The government had the responsibility to protect children from the abuse.

“Neville Cooper was identified, convicted, imprisoned, yet the government agencies knowingly watched him set up an isolated camp of imprisonment where I as a child, together with my sisters, my brothers, my friends were sentenced to be victims.

“I left 9 years ago, but the same leaders lead. I am not holding my breath that there is meaningful change happening.

Abuse survivor Paora Moyle was in state care for 14 years.

“There are 400 children under the control of these men as we speak, the system has to be held accountable.”

State care survivor Keith Wiffin told the hearing in his final remarks that the impact caused by the harmful actions of the Crown and faith-based institutions has shaped the nation.

“You don’t have to be a psychiatrist or rocket scientist to see the cause and effect.

“The damage to this nation is immense. Our prison population, 90% of them have been in state care.

“Gangs, 80 – 90% of Black Power or Mongrel Mob have been in state care. Most of those people would have had different lives apart from that abuse.”

The chair of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse of Care, Judge Coral Shaw thanks everyone who participated in the inquiry.

Faith-base and state care survivor Paora Moyle, who was on the Māori survivor advisory group Te Ara Takatū, urged the commissioners to make the most of the next nine months before they release their recommendations report in June.

“There are a lot of our babies in care who are harmed, and every 5 weeks once of them dies in state care.

”We haven’t got it right, but we do have the solutions.”

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To ensure the safety of tamariki in care now, and those who will be in the future, the only way forward was to put survivors at the heart of the restructuring of the system, Moyle said.

“Everything has to be survivor led,” they said.

“Stop looking at us like we’re broken, we live lives and we contribute to our community.”

Commission chairperson Judge Coral Shaw thanked the survivors and institutions that participated in the hearings, but assured them the work was not over.

“We’ve been working quite hard, but I think we’ll be facing an even higher mountain to climb now.”

Shaw said reports will be released in the coming months ahead of the final recommendations report that is expected to be released in June 2023.