Making a claim can bring up a range of emotions. Find out what support you can get before, during, and after making a claim.
The State (government) redress service is run by the Ministry of Social Development and connects survivors who want to make a state redress claim with the relevant government agency or agencies.
You do not need to know which government agency or agencies are responsible for your claim. The State redress service should work this out for you.
Before you make a claim, you can contact the State redress service if you want more information or support to start a claim.
The State redress service can:
When you contact the State redress service, they will ask you for information about yourself. It is okay if you do not have all of this information:
If you have support needs, accessibility needs, cultural needs or have a preferred way of communicating, you can tell them when you get in touch.
You can contact the State redress service by:
You can register your claim by filling out an online or printed claim form:
If you want help to complete the claim form, you can call the State redress service for Support at 0800 110 886.
You can also get support to make a claim from a lawyer, the Citizens Advice Bureau, and the Survivor Experiences Service. Learn more about what support you can get for making a claim.
If you downloaded a claim form you can:
The State redress service will want some proof of your identity. You can include a copy of your ID when you send back your completed claim form.
Find out what kinds of ID you can use.
If you want, a lawyer, whānau member or someone else can make a claim on your behalf – for example, if you are under 18 years old.
You will need to complete an 'Authority to Act' form as proof that they have permission to do this.
Download the Authority to Act form (PDF, 130 KB)open_in_new
If you are in prison, you can still claim redress. In the claim form, there is a space where you put your Person Record Number (PRN).
Find out more about claiming redress from prison.
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