Archives NZ seeks feedback on abuse in care inquiry records

The Abuse in Care Royal Commission of Inquiry was established in 2018. Photo / RNZ

Te Rua Mahara o te Kāwanatanga Archives New Zealand is calling for input into which types of records may be needed for future use to protect the rights of those with experience of state care and non-state (including faith-based) care organisations.

“The purpose of this mahi is to understand what care records are and where they are held, so they can be protected in the short term and well managed in the future,” Poumanaaki chief Archivist Anahera Morehu says.

“These might be records about people’s time in care or about the places, or settings, where people were in care.”

The Abuse in Care Royal Commission of Inquiry was established in 2018 by the Labour-led government to look into and report on the responses by institutions and allegations of historical abuse in state care and faith-based institutions between 1950 and 2000.

It has recommended the Crown urgently look at the rules for keeping care records and how they are managed.

A definition of care records is needed so organisations know what needs to be protected in the short term, and so Te Rua Mahara knows what rules need to be looked into.

Submissions sought by November 18

Having completed an initial consultation, Te Rua Mahara and the Crown Response to the Abuse in Care Inquiry have developed a draft scope and definition of care records for wider consultation and are calling for public submissions.

Submissions close on November 18.

“Once we have looked at all of the feedback and made all the changes needed, we will publish the scope and definition on our website,” Morehu says.

The royal commission has listened to survivors, held public hearings, received written statements, engaged with communities, and researched and inquired into different themes and care settings.

It will make recommendations to the Governor-General at the end of March 2024 on how Aotearoa can better care for those in state and faith-based care.