The Historic Abuse Resolution Service will ask you to tell them about your experiences and the abuse you suffered while in the care of a state-run psychiatric or psychopaedic institution.
Any supporting evidence you can provide may help with your claim. Examples of supporting evidence you might provide include:
The Historic Abuse Resolution Service will also ask you for approval to access information about you – such as your medical records. This means they will give you a form to sign and return.
Finding out that the Government is making it harder for you to claim redress can bring up a range of emotions. Find out about support you can getopen_in_newduring this time.
The Government is making a law change that affects survivors who have been sentenced to at least five years in prison for a 'serious violent and/or sexual offence'.
From 9 May 2025, when you claim redress from the State you will be asked to do two extra things:
If you do not do this, they will not process your claim.
If you have been sentenced to at least five years in prison for a 'serious violent and/or sexual offence', they will put your claim on hold. But you may still receive an apology and access wellbeing support.
If you have a terminal illness you can apply for an exemption to this checking process.
If your claim can be progressed, they will assess it based on the information and records they have (acknowledging that some records may no longer be available in some cases).
Once they receive your records from Health New Zealand, the timeframe for processing a request is usually 6 to 8 weeks. They will contact you with the outcome of the review and any offer.
The Ministry of Health will maintain all information provided to them in confidence and use it only to assess your claim.
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