‘I he vaha‘a ‘o e 1950 mo e 2019 na‘e fakafuofua nai ki he longa‘i fānau, to‘utupu mo e kakai lalahi ‘e 655,000 na‘a nau nofo ‘i he ngaahi feitu‘u na‘e ‘i he malumalu ‘o e pule‘anga´, mo e ngaahi potungāue faka-lotu (hangē ko e ngaahi Siaisi´) na‘a nau kau ‘i he fai tu‘utu‘uni ki he tauhi mo tokanga‘i ‘o e ni‘ihi ko ‘eni´.
‘Oku fakakau heni ‘a e ngaahi feitu‘u hangē ko e ngaahi ‘api mo e nofo‘anga ki he fānau´, ngaahi falemahaki, ngaahi feohi‘anga kemi ki hono tokangaekina ‘a e mo‘ui lelei´, ngaahi nofo‘anga ‘a e fakamaau‘anga´ ma‘a e to‘utupu´, ngaahi nofo‘anga ma‘a e to‘utupu´, ngaahi fāmili ‘oku nau tali e fānau tukuhausia´ pea mo e kaunga tonu ‘a e pule‘anga´ ‘i he fakahoko ‘o e pusiaki mo e fokotu‘utu‘u ‘o e tauhi´ fakataha mo e fāmili´ mo e kainga´ foki.
‘I he ngaahi ta‘u lahi na‘e fiema‘u ‘e he ngaahi kulupu´ mo e ngaahi kautaha´ ke fakatotolo‘i e tā mo e ngaahi fakamamahi kehekehe ne hoko ‘i he ngaahi nofo‘anga fakapule‘anga´ pea mo e ngaahi nofo‘anga ‘a e ngaahi potungāue faka-siasi´ mo e ngaahi feitu‘u kehekehe ne fai ai ‘a e nofo´.
‘I he 2017, na‘e ui ai ha fakamaau ‘eke ‘e he kōmiti ‘a e Pule‘anga Fakatahataha´ ki he tau‘i ‘o e fakamamahi´ pe ‘oku ‘iloa ko e UNCAT. ‘I he ta‘u pē ko ia´ ko e kakai na‘a nau hao mai mei he ngaahi fakamamahi kehekehe ko ia´ ne nau ngāue fakataha mo e Komisoni ki he totonu ‘a e Tangata´ ko e Tuku ‘Aupito pe na‘e ‘iloa ko e Human Rights Commission’s Never Again – na‘e uki ‘e he kulupu ‘oku ‘iloa ko e E Kore Anō ke fai ha fakamaau ‘eke tau‘atāina.
Na‘e fakahoko ‘e he Komisoni ‘oku ‘iloa ko e The Royal Commission of Inquiry and Historical Abuse in State Care ‘i he konga kimu‘a ‘o e 2018 pea moe konga kimui e ta‘u tatau na‘a nau fakakau mai mo e ngaahi potungāue kuo fokotu‘u ‘e he ngaahi siasi´.
Na‘e fiema‘u ke fakatotolo‘i ‘a e ngaahi me‘a na‘e hoko ki he longa‘i fānau´, to‘utupu´, moe kakai lalahi na‘a nau nofo ‘i he malumalu ‘o e tauhi ‘i he nofo‘anga ‘a e pule‘anga´ mo e ngaahi feitu‘u nofo‘anga faka-siasi mei he 1950 ki he 1999.
Na‘e laka hake he kakai ‘e toko 3000 ne nau vahevahe ‘enau ngaahi a‘usia´ mo e Komisoni Fakatu‘i´ pe ‘oku ‘iloa ko e Royal Commission. Ko kinautolu ne nau nofo he ngaahi nofo‘anga fakapule‘anga´ mo e nofo‘anga ‘a e ngaahi potungāue faka-siasi´ ne nau vahevahe fekau‘aki mo e faingata‘a na‘a nau a‘usia´, ko e tokolahi ‘oku nau faka‘amu ke fakahoko hā liliu ‘oku mahu‘ingamālie mo e faka‘amu ke fakalelei‘i e ngaahi founga ke to e fakapotopoto ange hono solova e ngaahi palopalema pehe ni´ he kaha‘u´ .
Ko e ongoongo mei he Komisoni Fakatu‘i´:
Vakai ki he lipooti ‘a e Komisoni Fakatu‘i´ pe ‘oku ‘iloa ko e Royal Commissionopen_in_new.
Ko e ‘Ōfisi ‘o e Crown Response Unit, ‘oku ‘iloa he taimi´ ni koe Crown Response Office (CRO) na‘e fokotu‘u ia he 2018 ke pule‘i e ngaahi tali ‘a e pule‘anga fekau‘aki mo e faka‘eke‘eke ki he fakamamahi ‘a e Komisoni ‘oku ‘iloa ko e Abuse in Care Royal Commission of Inquiry.
Ko e lipooti ‘a e Komisoni Fakatu‘i´ pe ‘oku ‘iloa ko e Royal Commission’s He Purapura Ora, He Māra Tipu: Mei he fakatonutonu ki he Puretumu Torowhenui na‘e fakamamafa‘i ai e ngaahi faingata‘a lalahi ‘oku foua ‘e he kakai ko ia na‘e hao mai´ he taimi ‘oku nau fekumi ai ki he ‘enau lekooti´. Kau ai ‘a e tatali fuoloa´, ‘ikai kakato pea mo e mole ‘enau lekooti fakataautaha´.
Ko hono solova‘anga ‘o e palopalema´ ni ko hono fokotu‘u ha uepisaiti ke tokonia ai e kakai´ ‘i he founga ke ma‘u ai ‘enau lekooti´. Ko e taumu‘a ‘o e uepisaiti´ ni ke tokoni‘i mo fale‘i e totonu ‘a e tangata´ ki he ngaahi me‘a´ ni pea fakamahino kiate kinautolu ‘a e founga ke ma‘u ai ‘enau lekooti´. ‘E ‘ikai ke nau ‘oatu hangatonu ha founga ki ho‘o lekooti fakataautaha´.
Ko e fengāue‘aki mo kinautolu´ na‘e faingata‘a koe‘uhi ko e fakamamahi kuo hoko´ na‘e ‘ikai ke nau falala ki ha fakafofonga e pule‘anga ke nau fa‘u ‘a e uepisaiti´. Ko ia ai na‘e ma‘u mai he ‘ōfisi pe ‘oku ‘iloa ko e Crown Response Office (CRO) hono hoa ngāue ke fa‘u mo tokanga‘i ‘a e uepisaiti´ ke tokoni‘i mo fakahinohino e kakai ‘i he founga ke ma‘u ai ‘enau lekooti´. Na‘e fakamahino ‘e he kāinga ko ‘eni´ ‘oku mahu‘inga ‘aupito ke tau‘atāina ‘a e uepisaiti ko ‘eni´ mei he pule‘anga´.
Na‘e kole ‘e he potungāue ‘oku ‘iloa ko e Citizens Advice Bureau New Zealandopen_in_new (CAB) ke nau to‘o fatongia he poloseki uepisaiti ko ‘eni´.
Ko e timi uepisaiti CAB ko eni´ ‘oku kau ki ai e kakai ‘oku nau fu’u taukei pea moe fānau´. Kuo fengāue‘aki vāofi ai ‘a e CAB mo ha ni‘ihi kehe kuo nau taukei mo‘oni ‘i he ngāue mo e fānau´ pea mo e ngaahi fāmili´ ki ha ngaahi fale‘i.
‘Oku hokohoko atu pe ‘e he CAB hono ma‘u mai ho‘omou ngaahi fiema‘u ki he uepisaiti ko ‘eni´ pea mo e founga ‘e to e lelei ange ai ‘a e ngaahi:
‘Oku tokanga‘i ‘e he CAB ‘a e uepisaiti ko ‘eni´ pea ko ‘emau timi´ ‘oku nau fakapapau‘i ‘e tokonia ‘a e kakai´ ke lava ‘o ma‘u ‘enau ngaahi lekooti´.
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
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This information may upset some people when they are reading it.
If you are upset after reading this document you can talk to your:
You can also contact Need to Talk by:
It does not cost any money to call / text 1737.
This is a long webpage.
It can be hard for some people to read a document this long.
Some things you can do to make it easier are:
This webpage tells you the reasons why we made this website.
This document is made by the Citizens Advice Bureau.
The Citizens Advice Bureau provides free advice to people about things like:
Rights are things that you should get to live a good life.
For example everyone has a right to things like:
The Citizens Advice Bureau is the kaitiaki / guardian of the Kōnae website.
Our team want to support you to get your records.
The Citizens Advice Bureau is called CAB for short.
Where it says we / our this means the CAB.
The website will support you to get your records from the time you were in the care or guardianship of others.
Here records means the information an organisation has kept / made about a person.
Here in the care or guardianship of others means when an organisation is put in charge of a person and decides things like:
where they live
A guardian is an adult put in charge of the care of a person.
A guardian should:
Kōnae tells you how to get records an organisation has about:
The organisations include:
Faith-based institutions are run by religious groups like churches.
Guardianship is when a guardian is put in charge of a person.
There were about 6 hundred and 55 thousand people in care in Aotearoa New Zealand between:
and
A person in the care or guardianship of others can be a:
The places that were involved in decisions about care included:
Borstals were places young people were sometimes sent when they did something to break the law.
The young people were aged from:
to
Borstals were meant to improve behaviour by training young people to do jobs.
Borstals ran between:
Here a foster family is when a family takes a child into their home and are supposed to:
Here adoption is a legal word that means:
Many people living in the care or guardianship of others were abused by the people meant to be caring for them.
For a long time people have wanted an investigation into care by:
Here investigation means looking into something to find out:
In 2017 the United Nations Committee Against Torture called for New Zealand to do an inquiry into abuse in care.
An inquiry is like an investigation.
The United Nations Committee Against Torture is called UNCAT for short.
The United Nations is an organisation made up of a lot of countries.
The countries work together to try to make the world a:
UNCAT is part of the United Nations.
It works to make sure governments are keeping their people safe from harm.
In 2017 the survivors of abuse in care asked for an inquiry.
Here a survivor of abuse in care is where a person has been:
The Human Rights Commission also asked for an inquiry.
The Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in Care was started in 2018.
On this webpage the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in Care is called the Royal Commission for short.
The Royal Commission looked into abuse that happened to people in care.
The Royal Commission was not part of the Government.
The Government could not tell the Royal Commission what to do.
The Royal Commission was not part of any faith-based institutions like churches.
The Royal Commission investigated what happened to people in care between:
More than 3 thousand people shared their experiences with the Royal Commission.
They hoped talking about abuse in care would stop it from happening.
The Crown Response Unit is now called the Crown Response Office.
The Crown Response Office is called CRO for short.
The CRO was set up in 2018 to look after the government response to the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in Care.
The Royal Commission was told that it was very hard for survivors to get their records.
The CRO set up a service to help survivors of abuse get the information they needed to ask for their records.
The Survivor Experiences Service supports survivors of abuse in care, and their whānau / families, to share their experiences.
They can also help survivors of abuse in care to get their records.
Click here to learn more about the Survivor Experiences Service
The CRO also works with Archives New Zealand to make it easier for survivors of abuse to get their records.
Click here to find out more about the CRO
The Royal Commission found that survivors were having a hard time getting their records.
The problems people had getting their records included:
The Kōnae website was made so survivors can get their records more easily.
Kōnae has:
Kōnae supports you to learn the right way to ask for your records.
Kōnae cannot give you your records.
The Royal Commission found that survivors of abuse did not trust a government agency to make a website.
To make a website the CRO needed:
Here independent means that the Government cannot tell an organisation what to do.
The CRO chose the CAB to:
The Kōnae website team includes:
The Kōnae website team also asked other people with lived experience of abuse in care for advice on how to make the website.
The Royal Commission made reports about what it found out during the inquiry.
The reports are listed below with website links.
Some of these reports are not in Easy Read.
Click here for the Royal Commission interim report
This is a summary of what the Royal Commission found out during the inquiry.
Click here for the Royal Commission redress report 2021
This report includes recommendations for a new redress system.
Redress means making something right when something wrong has been done.
Redress for a person who has experienced abuse in care can include things like:
Other Royal Commission reports include the:
Click here for the Royal Commission final report
Click here to learn more about the Royal Commission reports
We want to hear what you think about making things better like:
You can contact us by:
contact@konae.org.nz
0800 367 222
You can call our office during these hours:
9 am to 4 pm
10 am to 12 pm
Voicemails can be left at any time.
We will reply to them when our office is open.
If you find it hard to use the phone the New Zealand Relay service is for people who are:
Click here to find out more about the New Zealand Relay service.
Click here to download the information on this page as a PDF.
More Easy Read information is available.
Click here to visit our Easy Read library webpage.
Click here to learn about who made this Easy Read.