The minister responsible for the inquiry, Barbara Edmonds, says the public apology to abuse survivors will be delayed until after the inquiry's final report is delivered. Photo: RNZ / Angus Dreaver
The government has extended the Royal Commission into Abuse in Care's deadline again.
The high-level inquiry was due to handover its report into abuse that occurred in state and faith-based care between 1950 and 1999 by June this year.
But it asked the government for more time after receiving a large amount of evidence in the past year.
The minister responsible for the inquiry, Barbara Edmonds, said the inquiry would have until the end of March next year to complete its investigation.
"This timeframe extension reflects the huge amount of evidence received and the need for every voice to be included," Edmonds said.
This is the inquiry's second extension - it was given an extra five months to complete its work in 2021.
The Royal Commission had asked ministers for two more years, but the government rejected that request, opting to narrow its terms of reference and give the shorter extension instead.
The minister responsible for the inquiry at the time, Jan Tinetti, said the five-month extension would be its last.
The public apology to abuse survivors would be delayed until after the inquiry's final report was delivered, Edmonds said.
Work to establish a new redress system for survivors would not be affected by the deadline extension, she said.
On Wednesday, the government appointed Annabel Ahuriri-Driscoll and Ruth Jones QSM as the co-chairs tasked with designing the new scheme.
A separate, formal process is underway to appoint the remaining members of the design and advisory groups.