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Nau mai, haere mai.
The prime minister called it a “shameful part of our history”, and today that shame is made fully public. When the final report of the Royal Commission into Abuse in Care is tabled in parliament this afternoon, a lot of pain, grief and tragedy will finally be officially acknowledged.
But the hurt should also come with hope. As Stephen Winter writes, the commission’s remit was to investigate the past in order to inform the present and improve the future. As recent investigations of child protection agency Oranga Tamariki attest, this is not a problem we can consign to history.
Six years in the making and 16 volumes long, the royal commission report contains the harrowing accounts of survivors of New Zealand’s state and “faith-based” care systems. Blame is relatively easy to apportion there, but it is the state itself that must be held accountable.
“The report will indict successive governments for the prejudice, callousness and political calculation that rendered people in care largely invisible, and their lives dispensable,” Winter writes. “It will also put it beyond doubt that New Zealand’s laws, public policies and state institutions enabled that abuse.”
And that is where the substance of the prime minister’s words will be tested. Yes, there will be a public apology to the survivors in November, and some form of compensation. But the commission’s 138 recommendations will require real reform, not rhetoric or yet more consultations and committees.
“That only condemns survivors to further delays and uncertainties,” Winter stresses. “New Zealand’s credit with survivors is in short supply. They have become familiar with obstruction and delay, with pledges for change followed by more of the same.”
The people whose lives are documented in those 16 volumes to be made public today deserve so much more than that.
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Finlay Macdonald
New Zealand Editor
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Stephen Winter, University of Auckland, Waipapa Taumata Rau
The 16-volume royal commission report, to be made public tomorrow, will show beyond doubt how state policies and institutions have been guilty of enabling abuse. Change has to begin immediately.
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Melissa Bowen, University of Auckland, Waipapa Taumata Rau; Gaoyang Li, University of Auckland, Waipapa Taumata Rau; Giovanni Coco, University of Auckland, Waipapa Taumata Rau; Zheng Chen, University of Auckland, Waipapa Taumata Rau
A new study shows up to 90% of floating plastic rubbish is captured in estuaries and inner shorelines. Local community cleanups can make a real difference by stopping pollution at its source.
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Brigitte Viljoen, Auckland University of Technology; Elizabeth Day, Auckland University of Technology
People are beginning to blur the lines when it comes to their understanding – and usage – of AI technology. New research shows just how much social robots are changing how we interact with them.
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Paula Lorgelly, University of Auckland, Waipapa Taumata Rau; Richard Edlin, University of Auckland, Waipapa Taumata Rau
The Associate Health Minister’s letter of expectations for Pharmac includes things that could fundamentally alter its core objective of getting the best health outcomes within its budget.
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Belinda Wheaton, University of Waikato; Holly Thorpe, University of Waikato
Hosting the Olympic surfing half a world away from the host city of Paris has highlighted just how hard it is for mega-events to be truly environmentally sustainable.
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Anjali Bhatia, Auckland University of Technology; Nadia Charania, Auckland University of Technology
Migrant mothers face multiple barriers to accessing healthcare in New Zealand. New research highlights the difficulties they face, in their own words.
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Dominic O'Sullivan, Charles Sturt University
David Seymour’s expectation that drug-buying policy be based on need rather than ethnicity misses the point: the Treaty of Waitangi is already about equality, and can help guide good decisions.
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Jennifer Gale, University of Otago; Meredith Peddie, University of Otago
New research shows three minute exercise sessions while relaxing at night can increase sleep times by as much as 30 minutes – challenging common advice about avoiding activity before bed.
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Sita Venkateswar, Massey University; Derrylea Hardy, Massey University; Heidi McLeod, Lincoln University, New Zealand; Nitha Palakshappa, Massey University
The government is reducing the scope and scale of the free school lunch programme. But evidence suggests expanding it would be good for children, communities and local businesses.
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Jonathan Barrett, Te Herenga Waka — Victoria University of Wellington
Local government raises about 4% of New Zealand’s tax revenue. The equivalent in Denmark is about 36%. If the government believes in ‘localism’, it has to give councils more power to raise revenue.
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From our foreign editions
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Liam Courtney-Davies, University of Colorado Boulder
How did Australia end up with so much iron ore? What we discovered in Western Australia redefines how we think about iron deposits – and provides clues on how we might find more.
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Camilla Nelson, University of Notre Dame Australia
Lucia Osborne-Crowley’s intrepid trauma-informed journalism put her ahead when reporting on Ghislaine Maxwell’s trial – in terms of access to the courtroom, victims and understanding the role of memory.
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Bavesh Kana, University of the Witwatersrand
The only vaccination against TB is more than 100 years old. Gene-editing has made it more effective.
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Gabrielle Lynch, University of Warwick
The state’s efforts to quell public protests show some worrying similarities to the past.
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Tom Vickers, Nottingham Trent University
The recent ballot of GMB members at Amazon’s Coventry site gives useful insights into how to stand up to large employers.
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Amelia Hadfield, University of Surrey
Keir Starmer is trying to hit the reset button with Europe. Will he succeed?
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Madona Azar, UMass Chan Medical School
Though a leading cause of liver transplants and an increasing number of young people being diagnosed with the disease, few people have heard of MASLD.
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Stephen J. Farnsworth, University of Mary Washington
Kamala Harris’ career as a prosecutor lets her use law-and-order themes to fight back against America’s first convicted felon former president.
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