Abuse in state care: Whanganui survivor says Government must act following formal apology

Christopher Luxon makes an official apology in Parliament for abuse in state care. Photo / Mark Mitchell

A Whanganui-based survivor of abuse in state care is pleased by the Government’s formal apology but wants action to follow as soon as possible.

Denise Caltaux watched the apology with about 400 other people at a Wellington event run by the New Zealand Collective of Abused in State Care (NZCAST), a survivor-led organisation.

“I expected to be annoyed and that they [apologies] wouldn’t be meaningful but, actually, I was surprised they were so good,” she said.

“In my mind, I’m telling myself not to get sucked into thinking that because they’re saying all these wonderful things, anything is going to change.”

She said she had to see change for herself - “in the inpatient wards and for people experiencing things at the grassroots.”

“Today, I feel pleased with the words and what was said. Tomorrow, I’ll be able to figure out if what they’re saying is going to match what they do.”

Prime Minister Christopher Luxon apologised in Parliament with about 200 survivors in the public gallery, specifically mentioning those abused at the Lake Alice facility near Whanganui, and announced $32 million to “increase capacity in the current system while we work on the new redress system”.

“Young, alone – and subjected to unimaginable pain. I am deeply sorry,” he said.

Survivors told their stories in Parliament’s banquet hall.

In a pre-recorded video, the late Sir Robert Martin, of Whanganui, said he was one of the “lucky ones” because he built a family and a life for himself.

“We were shut away from New Zealand society and culture,” he said.

“This can even feel as bad as the abuse we experienced and witnessed.”

Martin, a disability advocate who died earlier this year, spent the first 15 years of his life as a state ward and lived in institutional facilities.

In 2019, he gave evidence to the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in Care.

Caltaux was committed to Kingseat Hospital in Karaka aged 16 and spent time in the Tokanui psychiatric hospital near Te Awamutu and Wakari Hospital in Dunedin.

Abuse in State Care survivor Denise Caltaux (left), with Whanganui Community House manager Shelley Loader (right), says building a survivor network is important. Photo / Mike Tweed

She said being with hundreds of other survivors felt more important than the apologies.

“There are a lot of people I’ve been working with online for so long and this is the first time I‘ve met them.

“Building a survivor network is really important because, for the redress process, we want to have a strong voice.”

NZCAST founder Karl Tauri, who was born in Whanganui, said it was important the day was survivor-led.

“That’s why hundreds of people can sit around and talk - because they are comfortable.”

The apologies went exactly as he expected, Tauri said.

“There wasn’t much action in amongst it. We don’t want talk, we just want action and we want it immediately.”

Caltaux said abuse in care was at the core of a lot of social issues.

Earlier this year, she organised a survivor hui in Whanganui alongside Whanganui Community House manager Shelley Loader.

That has been followed up by a regular support group.

“People who have ended up in the borstal and justice system are seen as criminals but, actually, they are survivors of abuse.

“Even someone like Karl, who has been doing good work for 30 years, is yet to reconnect with his whānau in Whanganui.

“[Reconnecting] is what needs to happen for a lot of survivors.”

Mike Tweed is a multimedia journalist at the Whanganui Chronicle. Since starting in March 2020, he has dabbled in everything from sport to music. At present his focus is local government, primarily the Whanganui District Council.