Fiery scenes in Parliament, protester dragged from House as PM apologises
Tuesday, 12 November 2024
What you need to know
Survivors have heard apologies from public sector leaders in Parliament this morning
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has apologised in the House - with a protester removed by security
Survivors still don’t know what redress will look like, the Government says it’s ‘complex’
Read what the Royal Commission of Inquiry into state care recommended
‘We agonised’
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and coordinating minister Erica Stanford have talked to journalists post apology, addressing concerns from survivors that the apology had been held in Parliament.
Stanford said the Royal Commission of Inquiry had recommended Parliament as the location, and Stanford said officials had “agonised” over whether that was the right thing to do as they knew they would reach capacity quickly. Survivors were split on their views, she said.
“And so in the end, we sided with the Royal Commission, which suggested that we do it here. It was one of the recommendations but I also made sure that we held it at different events.”
Luxon reiterated Government was taking redress “incredibly seriously”.
That concludes our live coverage for today.
Speeches conclude, standing ovation for Hipkins
Labour leader Chris Hipkins has concluded his speech to applause and a standing ovation.
“This country owes a huge debt to survivors. We must ensure the enormous efforts made in this Inquiry lead to genuine change. Labour is committed to working closely with the Government towards redress.
“For many, there may never be healing, but I hope that this apology and commitment to right historic wrongs and safeguard those in our care now and in the future from abuse, goes some way to giving survivors some relief and closure,” Hipkins said.
That concludes the apology speeches today.
What did the survivors think?
Karilyn Wildbore, a Lake Alice survivor, said the apology meant “nada at the moment”, which she said was felt by many in the audience.
Wildbore was one of the hecklers during Una Jagose’s speech.
“It took balls for her to speak, I think she would have been better off without speaking, but at least I vented and that’s why I’m here, you need to hear it from us not just do everything behind closed doors.”
When asked what she expected from Prime Minister Christopher Luxon’s apology, she said, “well, if it's the same as his last apology, I'll just be staring at him.”
National remembrance day
There have been murmurs of approval in the House as the prime minister announced the Government will start working on removing memorials, including street names, public amenities and public honours, of proven perpetrators of abuse.
In this apology he’s also announced a National Remembrance Day in a year’s time, November 12, to mark the one-year anniversary of this apology, to “provide us with an opportunity to stop and reflect on what you endured and ensure we are doing all we can to prevent future abuse”.
He’s also touched on redress - details of which the Government is still working through and is under pressure to announce. So far 3500 people were already engaging in the two-decade old redress system, which Luxon said can take five years for each claim to be seen through.
He said Government would put an extra $32m into addressing the system’s capacity issues, while they work through the new redress system.
At Shed 6 there were nods to Luxon’s words when he acknowledged those who struggled to get help from government agencies when they came forward to report their abuse.
“This has meant that you have had to relive your trauma over and over again.”
One person shouted “thank you”.
‘It is my duty … to formally recognise the abuse you suffered’
Read parts of the prime minister’s speech below.
“Today I stand before you as the representative of not only this Government, but all of the governments that have gone before us to offer a formal and unreserved apology for the abuse you suffered while in state care, churches and other faith-based places.
“It was horrific. It was heartbreaking. It was wrong. And it should never have happened.”
“You knew the truth because you lived it, and you have waited and waited for people to start listening to you.
“Now New Zealand has listened. Words do matter and I say these words with sincerity: I have read your stories, and I believe you. It is my duty as the current Prime Minister to formally recognise that the abuse you suffered should never have happened.
“Recognition that is long overdue. Today I am apologising on behalf of the Government to everyone who suffered abuse, harm and neglect while in care. I make this apology to all survivors on behalf of my own and previous governments. You deserved so much better.
“And I am deeply sorry that New Zealand did not do better by you.”
‘I know this day has been a long time coming’
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has been interrupted by a heckler, who was dragged from the House by four security guards, as Luxon began delivering his apology to state care abuse survivors.
Before it got under way one person in the gallery could be heard calling to Judith Collins, attorney-general, to let go of solicitor-general Una Jagose, who had earlier been heckled as she apologised at an event at Parliament’s Banquet Hall.
Luxon then began: “I know this day has been a long time coming.”
At this point one person stood up in the gallery and began shouting at Luxon.
“How can we heal without Jesus Christ back in this Parliament?” the man shouted.
“I ask you sir, as a survivor, I implore this Parliament who has kicked Jesus Christ out of this Parliament -” the man was then interrupted and shouted down by survivors who told him to, “Get out”.
“Make NZ great sir,” the heckler shouted, as he was dragged out.
Speaker Gerry Brownlee told him, “On your way”, as he was taken out, and then apologised to the public gallery.
“Your day has begun with such an unacceptable interruption. I know you come here with goodwill,” said Brownlee.
People watching on at Wellington’s Shed 6 clapped and cheered at the disruption.
The crowd was then mostly quiet but unsettled with people filming Luxon’s speech and occasional shouting out and scoffing at his words.
‘It is time to deliver’: Survivors take centre stage
“Today is hugely important in our country’s history,” survivor Keith Wiffin told those watching the apology to survivors of abuse in care.
“It has taken far too long to come about, primarily the focus…has been to invest in avoiding taking responsibility.”
He said Prime Minister Christopher Luxon’s apology would be a chance to heal but he said there needs to be meaningful redress for all those who have suffered.
“We sit here today with nothing.”
He told the Government to “do the right thing”.
“It is time to deliver.”
A 1-minute silence was held to remember those who have died after a video of the late Sir Robert Martin was was played.
The second speaker, Fa’afete Taito thanked survivors. “Without you, there would have been no today.”
There has been clapping and applause at Shed 6 in response to Taito’s speech.
He said the most important outcome of the apology and redress was to keep mokopuna safe and for mokopuna to no longer experience harm.
“That is the one non-negotiable.”
Tu Chapman was the last of the survivor voices to speak and issued a challenge to the prime minister.
“Five minutes, that’s what each of us have been given to speak on behalf of the tens of thousands…five minutes is all this regime has afforded us to respond to a prime minister’s apology that we haven’t even yet heard.”
“You owe us right now.”
‘Nothing that happened to you was your fault, it was ours’
Booing and growling could be heard from the crowd in Shed 6 response to Solicitor-General Una Jagose KC.
“At times, we lost sight of you, the people behind the claims. I am sorry for that.
“Sometimes, we made uninformed judgments that were not fair or necessary.
“Sometimes, we caused unnecessary delays in legal processes.
“We didn’t always properly manage the way in which information was gathered. In the early 1990s, in particular, we did not identify some claims as raising significant criminal allegations.”
She pauses at times while people in the crowd called out.
“We must always remember to see the person in the claim. For the times we have failed to do that, again, I am sorry.”
People called out to say her work was “terrible”, while laughing could be heard in the crowd as responses in the crowd at Banquet Hall yelled “no you’re not” in response to her apology.
Others called her words “patronising” while others said “shut up” and her words were “disingenuous”.
In the Banquet Hall, her apology was responded to with calls from survivors:
“You never acknowledged us, you said we lied.”
One woman walked out saying “I refuse to listen to her”.
Andrew Bridgman, acting chief executive and secretary for children at Oranga Tamariki, was the first of the seven speakers, recommended to make an apology by the Royal Commission.
“I stand here to take responsibility, to unreservedly apologise for the survivors of those who were abused in state care,” said Bridgman.
“Nothing that happened to you was your fault, it was ours.”
“We are sorry for failing to provide you with a childhood that you deserved, that every child is entitled to.”
There was little applause, one person was heard shouting “shut down the boot camps”.
Andy Jackson, who is the acting chief executive and secretary for education, also spoke. “We have heard clear that we need to do much better, and while much has changed since 1999, more work is needed to improve child protection.”
Ministry of Social Development chief executive Debbie Power reiterated the fact that an apology cannot make up for the pain.
“I know no apology can make up for the lost years and the abuse.”
“What happened to you was not your fault, none of the pain can be attributed to your or anything you did.”
“I acknowledge the fault of the public service I lead,“ said Public Service Commissioner Sir Brian Roche.
“The organisation I lead failed you.“
‘They’ve bloody done nothing’: Some survivors protest apology
Mike Ledingham, 74, a survivor and an active member of the Network of Survivors of Abuse in Faith-Based Institutions, said a public state apology felt meaningless.
He was standing outside Shed 6 where the apology was being broadcast for survivors, and would stay outside in protest against what he called a “hollow apology”.
“They’ve bloody done nothing,” he said on Tuesday morning.
He wanted to see laws changed around religion “to make them more transparent and accountable.”
“They need to change the laws so it doesn’t happen to future children.”
Inside Shed 6, scoffs could be heard from amongst the crowd of survivors as Minister Erica Stanford addressed the crowd at Banquet Hall.
Erica Stanford praises bravery of survivors
The lead coordination minister, Erica Stanford, has paid tribute to the survivors who spoke to the Royal Commission of Inquiry into state care abuse.
“Without them, this dark stain on our past would have remained in the shadows,“ she said in the event at the Beehive.
She outlined the day’s proceedings which include apologies from the main public sector groups that the commission recommended make apologies.
Mihi whakatau signal start of day’s proceedings
The proceedings for the Abuse in Care apology got under way with mihi whakatau in Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch.
Pictured about is the welcome to the Banquet Hall in Parliament, led by Te Āti Awa Taranaki Whānui . In Auckland the welcome was led by Te kei o te waka o Tainui and in Christchurch, Ngāi Tūāhuriri.
Parliament’s Banquet Hall is where speeches will be heard from survivors, the lead coordination minister, Erica Stanford and government chief executives.