Should the NZ Government apologise to British victims of child migration here?

Opinion

As the Australian Government formally apologised yesterday to victims of Britain's past child migrant programme, Social Development Minister Paula Bennett said the children's situation in New Zealand was very different.

She acknowledged that life was difficult for many of the 549 British child migrants who arrived in New Zealand between 1948 and 1954.

But she added: "Unlike Australia, the majority of children who came here under the British migrant scheme were deliberately placed into foster care rather than into state institutions.

Should the NZ Government apologise to British victims of child migration here?