Final Report
On Wednesday 24 July 2024 at 4pm, the Royal Commission’s final report – (Whanaketia – through pain and trauma, from darkness to light) was presented to Parliament. It is now publicly available on the Royal Commission’s website in html, pdf and word format. The executive summary of Whanaketia will be published in accessible formats and te reo Māori.
Background
The Royal Commission was established by the Government in February 2018 to identify, examine and report on the abuse of children, young persons and vulnerable adults while in State care, or in the care of faith-based institutions and schools. The Royal Commission sought to identify what needs to change to prevent such abuse from happening again in the future.
As well as being able to look into physical, sexual, emotional and psychological abuse and neglect, the Inquiry looked into inadequate care or improper treatment that resulted in serious physical or mental harm to individuals.
The Royal Commission’s focus was on the period between 1 January 1950 and 31 December 1999, with an underlying discretion to consider abuse that occurred beyond that timeframe.
Reflecting the scope of the Inquiry, the Royal Commission needed additional time to complete its work and the final report is due in late July 2024.
How Police is involved
In its broad terms of reference, the scope of the Royal Commission includes “transitional and law enforcement settings” – meaning Police cells, Police custody, and transportation by state actors like police to and from other places of care. While the Royal Commission could have scrutinised the role of Police (during the period from the 1950s through to the 1990s) there was no discrete hearing involving transitional and law enforcement settings. Instead the Royal Commission focussed on things like the quality of investigations into abuse in care during this time, our recordkeeping, and our adherence to international conventions and Te Tiriti.
As part of private listening sessions, some individuals disclosed previously unreported experiences of abuse or neglect. These were referred back to Police for investigation as possible historic crimes.
Police gave evidence in a number of the Royal Commission's public hearings including into Lake Alice, Context, Redress, and Crown Accountability.
Requesting records or other information
You can request information online, either information about yourself (under the Privacy Act) or other information (under the Official Information Act).
The Privacy Act enables you to request information about yourself. You do not have to be a citizen or permanent resident, or be in New Zealand to request it.
If you want to request information about someone else, you should request this under the Official Information Act.
The Official Information Act 1982 (or OIA) enables you to make a request for official information held by public sector agencies, including New Zealand Police. New Zealand citizens, permanent residents, visitors to New Zealand, and body corporates registered or with a place of business in New Zealand can make a request under the OIA.
Alternatively, download either our:
- Request for Personal Information form (PDF 584KB)
- Request for Official Information form (PDF 563KB)
and deliver your completed request by hand or post to your nearest Police station or District Headquarters, or Police National Headquarters.
Where to learn more
The Royal Commission provides news and updates on its external website. The terms of reference guiding the Royal Commission’s work are also published there. To immediately report experiences of abuse or neglect, whether or not you or someone you know intends to share these experiences with the Royal Commission, there is a range of information on our website about how to report a crime, plus advice specifically for anyone who wants to report sexual assault.
Regardless of whether an assault is historic or happened only recently, police and other specially-trained people can assist victims and/or those reporting the sexual assault, along with family/whānau, to help decide what to do next.
Likewise, if you have any concerns about abuse or neglect that might be happening to children or other vulnerable people currently in care, please notify these concerns as early as possible to either Oranga Tamariki (the Ministry for Children) or local police, so that safety assessments can be made as quickly as possible by specially-trained staff. Read this Frequently Asked Question for more information on what steps you can take.