Claims for abuse while in care

All new claims need to first go through the State Redress service.

Applying for redress | Redress New Zealand

The State Redress service provides a single point of contact for people seeking information about state redress and making new claims. You can contact them by either:

• email at contact@info.redress.govt.nz
• phone on 0800 110 886 (from overseas +64 4 9109886), or
• complete the online form on their website Make a claim online | Redress New Zealand

The State Redress service collects the information they need. They then contact us to confirm eligibility for a redress pathway.

We assess and provide the State Redress service with the eligibility outcome.

The State Redress service then advises you of the outcome and, for those who are eligible, hand the claim over to us.

You will have a claims advisor to guide you through making a claim. They will:

• explain the process
• ask how you would like to engage with the process, and
• answer any questions that you have.

When you are ready, your claims advisor will listen to your experience.

We acknowledge your courage to discuss these experiences and the impact this may have on you. We are committed to approaching your story with care, respect, and to provide the support you need.

Let us know how we can help. You may also pause your claim at any time.

We will consider what happened and how it happened.

This involves your claims advisor reviewing relevant records. It may also involve speaking with others, including wider whānau, your social worker, or other Oranga Tamariki staff.

We will talk to you about this before we speak to other parties. We can also help you get a copy of your records if you would like to have one.

We will help to explore redress options that work for you. We will work to:

• understand what happened
• acknowledge what occurred
• support any healing from the harm you have suffered.

This will apply to all claims we engage with. We will work to these aims whether it was your experience, or that of a tamaiti you are an advocate for. 

Tamariki, rangatahi and support networks (including whānau, hapū , iwi and community) are at the centre of our claims process. We are focused on providing support that best meets your needs, in a way that works for you.

We are committed to delivering redress that is mana-enhancing, genuine and meaningful to you. This is a space where you can tell us about your experiences, and talk about the impact of the harm. It is a space for us to acknowledge this impact and take steps to put it right.

We listen to, recognise, and value diverse backgrounds, beliefs, values, customs, and knowledge. We are committed to upholding and protecting your rights and interests. 

We are committed to being flexible and facilitating various ways of engaging with us. Please let us know how we can make the process as comfortable as possible for you. We can find a way that works best for you.

We communicate clearly with you about the process and expected timeframes. We explain clearly what information will be collected and how it will be used and shared, why, and to whom. All information being considered during an investigation will be made available to you.

We recognise that harm can have impacts beyond the individual who experienced the abuse. We are committed to learning from the experiences that you share with us, and to using these learnings to make changes to the system to help prevent harm to others.