Erica Stanford: Minister Responsible for The Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in Care says they'll do everything to hold faith-based groups responsible

Erica Stanford says the Government will do everything it can to get faith-based groups to apologise for the part they played in the abuse of thousands. 

The Royal Commission of Inquiry estimates 200,000 of around 655,000 people in care were abused between 1950 and 2019.  

Abuse and neglect was widespread in state and faith-based institutions.  

It makes 138 recommendations.  

Stanford is the Minister Responsible for the Government's Response, and told Mike Hosking faith-based institutions need to be held responsible. 

“If you look at Australia and other countries, they have managed to bring the churches on board in a redress system where the churches chip in and the Government runs the system.” 

LISTEN ABOVE 

WHERE TO GET HELP

https://www.abuseincare.org.nz/for-survivors/counselling-and-support/

SEXUAL HARM

Where to get help:
If it's an emergency and you feel that you or someone else is at risk, call 111.
If you've ever experienced sexual assault or abuse and need to talk to someone, contact Safe to Talk confidentially, any time 24/7:
• Call 0800 044 334
• Text 4334
• Email [e-mail]
• For more info or to web chat visit safetotalk.nz
Alternatively contact your local police station - click here for a list.

If you have been sexually assaulted, remember it's not your fault.

MALE SEXUAL ABUSE SURVIVORS

Where to get help:
If it's an emergency and you feel that you or someone else is at risk, call 111.
• If you've ever experienced sexual assault or abuse and need to talk to someone call the confidential crisis helpline Safe to Talk on 0800 044 334 or text 4334. (available 24/7)
• Male Survivors Aotearoa offers a range of confidential support at centres across New Zealand - find your closest one here.
• Men and Trauma New Zealand: 0800 636 263
• Alternatively contact your local police station - click here for a list.

If you have been abused, remember it's not your fault.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
So a big days the government released the Royal Commission
Report into the Abuse and care of the estimated six
hundred and fifty five thousand who were supposed to be
looked out for about two hundred thousand ended up being abused,
in some cases torture. So next steps Minister Responsible Erica
Stanford's with us. Very good morning to you, whater Mike.
Have you got your head around the size and complexity
of what's about to happen as regards redress?

Speaker 2 (00:24):
I have, and it is hugely complex. There was an
interim report done that had ninety five recommendations and one
of those was to set up an interim or sorry
design group matup survivors and they have had their own
ninety five seven recommendations around what the process could look like.

(00:45):
EDIT is very unique and there are a whole lot
of very challenging things for us and there to consider.
But I think you couldn't really understand that redress process
until you read the stories in this thought that's been
released recently and understand the scale and complexity of it.

Speaker 1 (01:04):
How crunchy is it going to get when expectation doesn't
meet reality or reality doesn't meet expectation it's.

Speaker 2 (01:12):
One of the things that we will have to manage
because the report from the Redress Design Group is very
innovative and there are a lot of things in there
that have been suggested that have never been done anywhere
else in the world. And so I've sat down with
that group and I've said to them and they understand,

(01:32):
they know that what they've put forward is very innovative.
And I've said to them, look, you know, we aren't
going to be able to do all of this. And
they said to me, we understand that, we know that.
And then I said to them, well, I need you
to tell me what are the most important elements of
this that we have to get right. And one thing
they said to me was it has to be survivor led.

(01:52):
You have to take us on the journey the whole way,
with all the decisions that you make.

Speaker 1 (01:57):
How much of it's going to come down to money
at the end of the day.

Speaker 2 (02:01):
Well, Christopher lux from the Prime Minister is said to
all of us, that's not to be considered at the beginning.
Actually the first thing is first principles, what is the
right thing to do? And then right or part of
it will be money. But when you look at these survivors,
and I've spoke to the yesterday. I spent two and
a half hours with the survivors of Lake Alice and
then another hour or so with survivors yesterday. They're all

(02:26):
very different. Some just want an apology and an acknowledgment.
Some just want to get their teeth fixed. Some just
want some ability to talk to professionals about the trauma.
Does want a financial sentiment. It's very very different with
all of the things that they want, and it doesn't
always come down to money. Many people dirty money.

Speaker 1 (02:45):
Can you make the faith based groups apologize or pay.

Speaker 2 (02:50):
Well, We're going to do everything that we can because
they need to be held responsible and we will lean
on very hard. And if you look in Australia and
other countries, they have managed to bring the church is
on board in a readdress system where the churches chip
in and the government runs the system. So there are
lots of very interesting ways they do it around the
country where the are Crown Response and it has already

(03:12):
been engaging with the churches and they have been have
been engaging so far in good faith, and so I'm
hopeful and confident that they will come to the party
and so they should.

Speaker 1 (03:22):
How do the legals work? Are the case that happened
allegedly in nineteen fifty nine, where memories are faded and
the evidence is gone, versus a case that happened in
nineteen ninety nine where the evidence is still there and
people are still employed. And who runs that? And are
the courts up for dealing with charges they may or
may not have ever seen before, things like torture?

Speaker 2 (03:39):
Things?

Speaker 1 (03:40):
I mean, is anyone equipped to deal with this?

Speaker 2 (03:44):
In terms of memories and things happening? There are still
a lot of records. Yes, a lot of records have
been destroyed, but there are a lot of records. And
also this report that was cabled yesterday gives you a
very clear indication of where things happen and the time frames.
And we do have a lot of records about the
numbers of people and who went through those institutions, and

(04:07):
when you read the stories, they're all eerily similar. And
so you know, if we know that someone went through
a particular institution at a particular time, it's very likely
those things happened. You know, from all of those those
reports that we now have, the two four hundred people
that came forward to get evidence, we know.

Speaker 1 (04:29):
When, where and what okay to bring it forward? Seven
double A, which is highly controversial. I rung at tamariki.
You take a child today in this modern era, out
and you then put them back in the Why to
find now the way to fine our abuses the child?
Who's responsible? And is this just not the modern version
of what was going on in the fifty sixties and seventies.

Speaker 2 (04:49):
But what was happening back then was was just completely different.
You know, children were taken into state care. It wasn't
a belief in keeping children families, keeping them with their culture,
or even putting them with putting them in safe places.
It was all about institutionalized care and that did not

(05:10):
bode well for anybody.

Speaker 1 (05:11):
See the different examples and completely different examples. Because abuse
is abuse.

Speaker 2 (05:16):
Well, abuse happens everywhere, and it's it is difficult to
always completely get rid of it and stop it from happening.
All weeven is make sure that we're putting learning the
lessons of the past and putting in place the processes
that will stop it happening again. And look, I don't
know all of the answers moving forward and all of
the different minister's portfolios about how we're going to deal

(05:37):
with us. What the report does do. It tells us
very clearly what happened when we did certain things, and
we need to now take all of those lessons and work,
you know, work on what we do moving forward. And
we don't have all of those answers yet, and as
the lead master, don't have the knowledge of everyone's individual

(05:57):
portfolios as to what they're going to do. But think firstly,
we will all start working in our individual portfolios on
changes we can make now well in advance of us
putting in places.

Speaker 1 (06:07):
Recommendation, massive job, go well with appreciate it. Erica Stanford,
minister responsible for the Abuse in Care inquiry response. For
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