200,000 Children and Vulnerable Adults Abused in New Zealand, Report Finds
New York TimesAUG 2024
New Zealand: Inquiry Finds Over 200K Abused in State Care
Above: New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon at Government House on June 13, 2024 in Wellington, New Zealand. Image copyright: Hagen Hopkins/Stringer/Getty Images News via Getty Images
The Spin
Narrative A
Though the government faces billions of dollars in fresh compensation claims, it recognizes and acknowledges the abuse survivors underwent and is committed to addressing the report's recommendations. While previous governments had resisted holding such an inquiry, the Luxon government will do anything it can to address this decades-long injustice and ensure it isn't repeated.
Narrative B
Luxon's apology isn't enough. The Pope, the Archbishop of Canterbury, and heads of the Catholic and Anglican churches must also take full responsibility for their failures to safeguard the inmates year after year. It's a national disgrace that state and faith-based institutions abused and tortured hundreds of thousands of people for decades with impunity while New Zealand promoted itself, internationally and domestically, as a safe, fair country.