The more than 130 recommendations focused on creating a new, independent redress system, strengthening the care system, and holding institutions accountable.
Hill told The Front Page that the biggest issue with redress is that there isn’t an independent, overarching scheme.
“The idea behind the independent scheme, which the Royal Commission called for, was to provide a single scheme that dealt with abuse in state care, faith-based care, schools, everything.
“There would be buy-in from faith-based organisations, so they’d become part of that scheme, which meant that there was transparency, independence, and accountability. Everyone knew what the rules were.
“But, with the decision not to proceed with that, what the Government’s done is trying to even up the various processes within Government which are wildly inconsistent and to try and do a bit of work inside their own house, but leaving faith-based organisations to forge ahead on their own,” she said.
A backlog in claims means that in some instances, survivors will have to wait five years for redress, Hill said.
“So there’s been a dragging of feet over a long period of time. There have been multiple changes to processes. There have been so many different ways that redress has been administered, and some are clunkier than others.
“Really, there’s just not been the resourcing, the staffing, the motivation to resolve claims quickly. So, they’ve built up because I think the state never realised or recognised just how many victims there were,” she said.
The fact that there are different schemes run by different institutions has led to a huge discrepancy in compensation made available to survivors, Hill said.
“To give you an example, someone who had experienced sexual abuse at Dilworth could receive compensation of, say, $200,000. Someone in state care who had experienced the same abuse or had been potentially abused for a longer period of time might get $30,000 to $40,000. That’s what that difference looks like,” she said.
The Presbyterian Church is the latest institution to address abuse in its care, with two public apology events: the first took place in Dunedin over the weekend, and the next is scheduled for Auckland this Saturday.
The apology includes details about the Church’s restorative action, including survivor-designed holistic redress.
“When we talk about redress, it responds to all of the harm. An element of redress is compensation, money. But, redress can also mean an apology. It also means making sure someone can access independent legal advice and often paying legal costs, counselling, or other support.
“I know for some schemes, there is access to facilitators to help you navigate your entitlements with ACC, for example. ACC is an enormous barrier for survivors as it’s incredibly difficult to navigate,” Hill said.
Listen to the full episode to hear more about the various redress schemes and how they might be made to work better.
The Front Page is a daily news podcast from the New Zealand Herald, available to listen to every weekday from 5am. The podcast is presented by Chelsea Daniels, an Auckland-based journalist with a background in world news and crime/justice reporting who joined NZME in 2016.
You can follow the podcast at iHeartRadio, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts.
