Bernie O’Donnell, an advocate and survivor of State care abuse, says the Crown’s apology must be sincere and upheld, as it spans generations of trauma, where everyone let survivors down.

Tomorrow morning, apologies from the public sector will begin the Government’s public apology process for survivors of abuse in State and Faith-Based Care, with Prime Minister Christopher Luxon speaking on behalf of the Government at 11:30 am.

O’Donnell says this apology may initiate difficult conversations between Māori survivors and their iwi.

“In a survivor space, everyone failed us, not just the crown, but also Māori. And I know there’s an uncomfortable conversation that is yet to be had with our iwi, because we belong somewhere, and yet the atrocities that Māori survivors especially had to endure, it wasn’t just the Crown system that failed us. A whole bunch of stuff failed us,” says O’Donnell.

O’Donnell says while the redress pathway will be interesting, he does not expect survivors’ needs to be fully met.