One single day to remember New Zealand’s horrific abuse in care and so many of them are our people and tamariki in state care are still experiencing sexual, mental and physical from the latest Oranga Tamariki report.
On 12 November 2025, Aotearoa marked the first anniversary of the national apology for the harms suffered by tāngata Māori and other whānau in state and faith-based care, with the launch of the National Day of Reflection.
From Tūwharetoa to Tāmaki Makaurau, whānau will gather at marae, sports centres and public spaces to honour those who endured neglect, abuse and intergenerational trauma. In Wellington, at Frank Kitt’s Park on the waterfront, survivors, kaumātua and iwi representatives stood for a shared moment of silence, offered karakia and planted flax in memory of those lost.
For Māori, the day carries deep resonance: the legacy of colonially-run institutions, the erosion of tikanga in care settings, and the ongoing need for tino rangatiratanga in healing pathways. One kaumātua said, “It’s time the whenua of our children who were taken, and the mauri of our whānau, are honoured properly.”
The government’s $1 million fund to support community-led reflection events has enabled more than 60 activities to date. Yet many Māori leaders argue the true test will be how Māori-led healing, systemic reform and treaty-based accountability follow the ceremony.
