We held a roundtable meeting to discuss what effective and meaningful redress for survivors might look like. Insights from participants included that any scheme should have te Tiriti at its core and be designed to include a ‘by Māori, for Māori’ approach that is well-resourced. There was a need to ensure that pathways to, and through, a redress scheme were available for Māori survivors, but also for Pacific survivors and Deaf and Disabled survivors, as well as survivors with mental health needs.

Most participants agreed that a redress scheme must be survivor-led at all levels, from design, to governance and support. This includes believing survivors, being trauma-informed and providing holistic support for people and communities affected by abuse in care. Being survivor-led also means being inclusive and providing a safe space for all survivors and their whānau.

Many participants spoke of a need to ensure that the collective impact of abuse is recognised – this could include providing redress to whānau members, multiple residents of an institution or communities, hapū and iwi.

Participants, like survivors, felt that a key part of redress was preventing future abuse from occurring, as was the need to hold institutions and systems to account. 

Most participants agreed that restoration and healing should be central to any redress scheme, for survivors, their whānau and communities. When discussing restoration, most participants felt that this would include tangible elements such as payments or services, system changes to prevent abuse, appropriate record keeping, and the development of prevention and public education programmes. Other crucial elements included te mana tāngata, exercising tino rangatiratanga, wrong doers being held to account and public accountability processes also being in place, connecting and reconnecting to whānau and whakapapa, and self-agency.

Next: Māori expectations – tino rangatiratanga and restoration of mana and oranga