***Distressing content warning***

At the time of the hearing Donald Ku was 58 years old and is of Ngāti Maniapoto and Tūwharetoa descent. He had two different admissions to Lake Alice, spending over two months in total in the Child and Adolescent Unit. During his first admission, he was one of the youngest patients in the unit. He was the victim of sexual abuse by staff members, physical abuse, and electroconvulsive therapy. He also received discriminatory treatment due to being Māori. He gave evidence about how severely his life was affected after Lake Alice, including leading to becoming a patched gang member by age 25. Mr Ku will also speak about his personal trauma, disconnection from his Māori culture, and the intergenerational impact of having his children taken into State care.