ARI SHAPIRO, HOST:
New Zealand's government has formally apologized to victims of historical abuse in state care. It follows a public inquiry that identified widespread abuse, torture and neglect of hundreds of thousands of children and vulnerable adults over a 70-year period. Kristina Kukolja reports.
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PRIME MINISTER CHRISTOPHER LUXON: I know that this day has been a long time coming.
UNIDENTIFIED PROTESTER #1: (Speaking Maori).
KRISTINA KUKOLJA: New Zealand's Prime Minister Christopher Luxon was interrupted by a protester as he addressed survivors at a special sitting of Parliament in Wellington on Tuesday. The protester was speaking Maori, New Zealand's Indigenous language.
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LUXON: You deserved so much better, and I am deeply sorry that New Zealand did not do better by you.
KUKOLJA: The abuse was horrific, heartbreaking and wrong, and should never have happened, Prime Minister Luxon told those gathered.
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LUXON: I am sorry that you were not believed when you came forward to report your abuse.
UNIDENTIFIED GROUP: (Speaking Maori).
KUKOLJA: A traditional Maori prayer marked the start of a meeting where Solicitor General Una Jagose offered apologies. She led the government's response to survivors' legal claims and was also met with an angry audience.
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UNIDENTIFIED PROTESTER #2: (Speaking Maori).
UNA JAGOSE: We lost sight of you, the people behind the claims.
UNIDENTIFIED PROTESTER #2: (Speaking Maori).
JAGOSE: And I am sorry for this.
KUKOLJA: In July, the public inquiry revealed an estimated 200,000 children and vulnerable adults were abused between 1950 and 2019, while in the care of state or faith-based institutions. The abuse included rape, electric shock, sterilization and forced labor. The report found people with mental or physical disabilities and those from Maori and Pacific Island communities were particularly vulnerable.
FRANCES TAGALOA: I've been waiting 20 years for redress and still waiting.
KUKOLJA: Frances Tagaloa was abused as a child while attending a Catholic school in Auckland in the 1970s. She says beyond an apology, the government must provide counseling and clarify how it will support survivors.
TAGALOA: How do we navigate some of the trauma, some of the physical impediments that we've had to put up with as a result of the abuse?
KUKOLJA: The New Zealand government says it's working on some of the recommendations, including possible payments to survivors, but officials haven't provided any specifics on compensation. For NPR News, Kristina Kukolja in Melbourne, Australia.
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