The series so far

with the Human Rights Commission to present an open letter to Parliament on June 6. A petition titled “Never Again” has almost 12,000 signatures.

Every party has expressed their support for the inquiry except National.

Prime Minister Bill English virtually ruled out an inquiry in February when he said he prioritised the care of current state children and ensuring that abuse did not happen again over an inquiry into past abuse.

A National spokesperson said the confidential listening service, for people to speak of the abuse they had suffered, provided more help than an inquiry would. It ran from 2008 to 2015.

Labour leader Jacinda Ardern has previously urged the Government to heed the “growing chorus of leading opinion” calling for an apology and an independent inquiry.

“Labour has long committed to issuing a public apology when we are in Government. We must acknowledge publicly the mistreatment of so many young children in state care. There should be an independent inquiry; their voices need to be heard.”

The Green Party and NZ First back the call for an inquiry. Between the 1950s and 1990s more than 100,000 children and vulnerable adults were taken from their families and placed in either children’s homes or mental health institutions.

While there, some suffered sexual, physical and psychological abuse. It’s impossible to estimate the extent of the abuse, because it has never been subject to a full public investigation.

Although the Government has so far paid out $17 million on a case-bycase basis, apologising directly to 900 victims.

The background to the inquiry started in 2001 when the Government issued an apology and compensation to a group of former patients of the former Lake Alice psychiatric hospital. A report by a retired judge had interviewed them and found their claims credible.

The issue then spread to former patients of other asylums and the Government set up the listening service.

The head of that service, Judge Carolyn Henwood, recommended

Henergy Read the whole series at nzherald.co.nz Housing affordability Education RMA, resources and Social issues