An apology without action is just empty words, survivors say, after hours of speeches from heads of government agencies and politicians were broadcast around the country on Tuesday.
But the news of an extra $32 million towards redress for survivors was met with cries of anger and disgust from those watching from Pipitea Marae in Thorndon, Wellington.
From one corner of the room: "It's not enough!"
More than 200 people gathered in the wharenui, while 10 minutes up the road, heads of government agencies and politicians gave their apologies to survivors of abuse in state and faith-based care.
Hundreds gather to watch the apology at Pipitea Marae. Photo: Samuel Rillstone/RNZ
"It's not about the money," one survivor said on the way out. "I've kept my kids out of care."
According to Prime Minister Christopher Luxon, the government would invest an additional $32m to increase capacity in the current system, while it worked on a new one.
So far, survivors have had to go through different agencies depending on where the abuse occurred, making the process confusing, and redress had been piecemeal and hard-won.
A new, single redress system would be operating by next year, Luxon said.
Throughout the day, the same message was repeated by survivors and advocates alike - an apology without action was hollow comfort.
Merio Masters, who was there supporting her cousin, hoped people could get a sense of closure from the event.
"The apology is never going to erase or better the situation people have lived [through], but it helps with closure, it helps with healing, and it helps with moving forward in the future, and supporting our ones that are currently in state care."
Masters said hopefully by the time of the first anniversary of the apology, change would be evident.
But not everyone believed in the merits of an apology.
Earlier on Tuesday, protesters outside another livestream event told RNZ it was not necessary - it was just empty words and delay tactics.
Steve Goodlass from the Network for Survivors of Abuse in Faith Based Institutions said he was frustrated the apology was coming without a plan yet for redress.
"There's no action, no tangible action that's following it, and the actions leading up to it have been a travesty."
Apology 'hollow' without redress - Cooper legal associate
A representative of some of the survivors of abuse in state care said the government's apology should have included an announcement about redress.
Cooper legal associate speaks on govt Abuse in Care apology
Cooper Legal senior associate Lydia Oosterhoff watched the apology from Pipitea Marae in Wellington with survivors, and told Checkpoint there was a lot of crying, grief, and anger.
It was a very moving and emotional event, she said.
The prime minister said sorry 10 times "but an apology without recognising that there is a need to change and putting that change into effect is hollow".
She believed survivors were let down by the apology, which came without a plan for redress.
"Successive governments have had that interim redress report for nearly three years now and we haven't seen any meaningful action towards trying to change the redress schemes that are currently in place," she said.
"It seems like everything's stalled and we question is it because it's going to cost too much? Does that mean we've come this far only to be told actually we don't have the money? And that would let survivors down yet again."
The government should stop looking at payment of redress as an up front cost because helping people who had been traumatised to address issues such as bad health outcomes and housing should lead to a saving to government in the future.
Oosterhoff said the price tag for redress has been put at about half a billion dollars.
The government plans to have a redress proposal unveiled next year.
Christchurch survivors gather to watch apology livestream
It was a day of mixed emotions from the survivors of abuse who gathered in the Christchurch Town Hall to watch the livestream of the government apology.
About 150 people watched the livestream from Parliament in the Limes Room in the Town Hall.
One of those was Hanz Freller who was abused while a residential care home run by the Order of St John of God in Christchurch in the 1990s.
He said he was so pleased with the prime minister's announcement of National Remembrance Day that he gave a fist pump.
Freller said he was also delighted with the announcement that memorials, parks and streets named after known abusers would be removed.
There were a lot of survivors who avoided certain areas because they did not want the constant reminder of the abuse, he said.
About 150 people watched a livestream of the apology at the Christchurch Town Hall. Photo: Nathan Mckinnon/RNZ
Another abuse survivor, who just wanted to be know as John, also said he was delighted with the plans for a National Remembrance Day.
John said for many years he could not talk about the abuse he had suffered, and it was great to have it acknowledged and to be together with so many wonderful people.
Joan Bellingham also attended the event in Christchurch.
She received more than 200 electric shocks while in the care of Princess Margaret Hospital in Christchurch, in a bid to cure her of her homosexuality.
Bellingham said while she welcomed the apology and acknowledgement of the abuse that people had suffered, she had hoped for more information about the promised redress.
"I came here to hear what they were going to do for us. They've been promising and promising and promising. We keep hearing three months' time, six months' time, nine months' time, and so it goes on."
Tracy Peters, who was abused when she was in care as a child, had also hoped to get information about the redress.
She said there was talk of the government doing something next year, but no details about exactly when or in what form.
Peters said it was wonderful to have abuse acknowledged and a public apology.
She said on her last day at Bollard Girls' Home she had told a friend that one day people would believe them that they were being abused, and they would get justice.
"She looked at me and said it'll never happen, they'll never believe us. But we did. It took a few decades, but we finally got our justice. At least a start, but we need to keep going with it. We can't drop the ball."
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