Deliver on your promise: A new single Redress Agency for survivors of abuse in care!

"As an immediate priority, the government and faith-based institutions should implement the 95 recommendations in the Inquiry’s interim report on redress, He Purapura Ora, he Māra Tipu: From Redress to Puretumu Torowhānui (2021), together with the recommendations of the design group, subject to any further recommendations made in this report." [1]

• expansion of oranga, or wellbeing, services and support services for survivors and their whānau;
• increased financial payments for survivors;
• training for those working with survivors;
• enactment of a right to be free from abuse in care, as well as a duty to protect this right;
• an exception to accident compensation legislation;
• improvements to the handling of survivors’ requests for records, including as few redactions of survivors’ records as possible; and, 
• a review of record-creation and record-keeping practices.

"But I want to assure you it is our intention to have a new single redress system operating next year." [3]

• Increasing the average redress payments for new claims from $19,180 to $30,000;
• Providing for higher payments for the survivors who experienced the most egregious abuse;
• Providing “top up” payments of 50% to survivors who have already settled claims to ensure consistency with increased payments for new claims;
• Introducing a common payments framework so that survivors receive the same financial redress for similar experiences of abuse, regardless of where in state care that abuse occurred;
• Increase system capacity to process claims from 1,350 to 2,150 per year from 2027 to reduce wait times for current claimants;
• Implementing a seamless service so that survivors with claims with multiple agencies have those claims managed by one point of contact;
• Introducing a single-entry point for survivors wanting to register new claims;
• Introducing an independent review for people who are unhappy with their redress offer; and
• Funding for redress agencies to provide survivors with access to supports and services.

“I acknowledge that a key recommendation of both the Royal Commission and the Redress Design Group was for a new independent redress entity.

“The Government was faced with a difficult choice: do we spend more time and money on setting up a new scheme, or do we provide more to survivors now through the current redress process?

“For Budget 25 we have prioritised improving the current system as quickly as possible for survivors and investing in changes that have a direct impact for them." [4]