The report urged New Zealand to "urgently fix the 'national disgrace' and 'fully funded failure' that led to pervasive abuse" in the aforementioned settings. Nearly 150 recommendations were set forth to do just that.
According to the findings, while people of all races, sexes, and abilities were abused, rates were higher among those who were "Māori, Pacific Peoples, Deaf and disabled people, neurodiverse people, people who experience mental distress, Takatāpui, [and] Rainbow," as well as women and girls.
The abuse was found to have led to "an intergenerational transfer of inequities" and the formation of many of the country's gangs. Between 1950 and 2019, it caused an estimated $200 billion in economic costs.
"For decades they told us we made it up," survivor Toni Jarvis told SBS News surrounded by those who suffered abuse or some form or another. "They wouldn't have a bar of us, so this today is historic and the acknowledgment acknowledges all these people here, all the courageous survivors that have been strong enough to share their stories and come on board."
While the New Zealand government is set to issue an official apology for the actions of previous officials in November, the report also urged faith leaders such as the Pope and Archbishop of Canterbury to apologize for their insititutions' role in the abuse.
"I cannot take away your pain," Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said, "but I can tell you this. Today you are heard and you are believed ... This is a dark and sorrowful day in New Zealand's history." Education Minister Erica Stanford said that over the next few months, the Cabinet will look over the report and take into consideration its 138 recommendations, 95 of which deal with redress.
