Find guidance to access records created about you (or whānau) by organisations involved in decisions about your guardianship or care.
English and te reo Māori captions are available for this video.
Tongan and Samoan captions, and NZSL will be made available when ready.
Download the te reo Māori transcript (30 KB, Docx).
English transcript:
Text on screen: He Karere nā Ngā Pou Whakawhirinaki o Aotearoa – A message from the Citizens Advice Bureau NZ
This video was shaped by the experiences of real people and may be triggering for some viewers.
The people featured are actors.
Dedicated to all those who should have been safe, cared for and protected.
Teenage boy:
Have you ever pulled up a net and found something you weren’t expecting? My Koro has.
When Koro was a kid, he got told he’d been a little shit. So he got taken away from his home. Away from his whānau, away from everything he knew.
He was just a kid. And the people who meant to care for him? Yeah nah.
He…He tried to run, but they always found him. And every time he ran, they took him further away. Until he didn’t know where he came from anymore.
He always told me he was lost for years. But one day, he found a way to pull some of it back.
He started finding his records.
It wasn’t easy and it’s taken him years. Some places never got back to him. Others said they’d lost his stuff. A few told him no. Over time, he started finding his records. Koro’s been collecting his records ever since and yeah, his box is pretty heavy now.
Koro says finding his records from those times was like pulling up a net. Some stuff in there? Pretty hard to look at. Stuff he didn’t want.
But then there were also parts of his life. His whānau names. His whakapapa. Letters people wrote to him that he never got. His only photo from when he was a little kid. Little pieces of who he was, waiting to be found.
But here’s the thing—Koro wasn’t the only one. Some like koro were told it was because they were naughty, or that no one wanted them. Some were told it was because their bodies worked differently. And some? They weren’t given a reason.
Can you guess how many?
Hundred? Nah. Higher. A thousand? Nah. Six hundred and fifty-five thousand people. Each with their own story and their own family.
Six hundred and fifty-five thousand. That’s like thirteen thousand people every year, for fifty years.
It’s like the town size of Oamaru, Levin, or Cambridge being made to leave home every year. For fifty years.
So what’s this got to do with you? We want everyone to know two things:
First: That records were created about people from those times. Whether things took place in a foster family, a children’s home or a place run by a church.
And Second: That you have a legal right to your records.
So we built a website to help people find their records. We called it Kōnae. Because a kōnae is a small basket. But it can also mean the bottom of a fishing net—the place where everything gathers.
Koro says getting his records was like pulling up his kōnae—finding the bits of his life that were waiting for him. And now, they’re his to keep.
So listen to Koro. Like and share this video. And go check out Kōnae.
Koro:
Hey Moko. Time to head home mate.
Visit Kōnae today. My Records. My Rights.
Text on screen:
Kōnae: My Records Guide. Konae.org.nz
People have shared how the process of getting your records can be challenging – both in terms of the range of emotions it can bring up, as well as the practical steps involved.
We hope Kōnae will make the process of getting your records easier and that this website will be a safe and empowering space for you.
Learn more about the story behind Kōnae.
You have a legal right to access records about you from organisations who hold them.
Kōnae has been designed and developed by Citizens Advice Bureauopen_in_new (CAB) together with people of lived experience and independently of government.
Survivors highlighted how important trust is for people wanting to access their records. They thought people would have more trust in this website if it was independent of government.
CAB was identified as a trusted community service with experience and expertise in producing plain language information and helping people to know and understand their rights. CAB is honoured to be kaitiaki for this website.
Learn more about the story behind this websiteopen_in_new.
The name of this website, Kōnae, is inspired by a survivor who described retrieving his records as “hauling in a net that carries part of your life story”. Kōnae embodies the process of reclaiming what matters.
In te reo Māori, Kōnae refers to a file, a woven basket, and the belly of a fishing net—symbols of gathering, sifting, and keeping what’s valuable. Kōnae offers website users a place to recover, keep, or release parts of their history.
How to pronouce Kōnaeopen_in_new (press the icon next to "Kōnae").
This website is a response to one of the recommendations from the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in Care.
People told the Royal Commission about the challenges they experienced when trying to access their records.
Survivors of abuse in care faced confusing processes, long delays, and were often denied access to their personal records.
Poor record-keeping led to incomplete, lost, or destroyed documents. When records did arrive, they were often heavily redacted, with most words blacked out.
Records can help people better understand the decisions made about their lives and can be an empowering step toward healing. They can also be helpful evidence for survivors of abuse who are seeking justice and redress.
The Royal Commission found widespread abuse and neglect and in some cases torture in state and faith-based institutions.
We tested with survivors how they felt about the use of the word “care” on this website. Many told us that 'care' is the opposite of what they experienced. They supported us in limiting the use of the word ‘care’ where we can.
That’s why on this website you will see us talk about ‘records’ instead of ‘care records’ and use phrases like ‘time spent in places like…’ instead of ‘being placed in care’.
Learn more about the language used on this website.open_in_newopen_in_new
Find information on redress and how survivors can make a claim.
For the latest news and updates on Kōnae sign up to our newsletteropen_in_new.