WELLINGTON (NEW ZEALAND)
Radio New Zealand
September 20, 2020
By David Cohen
Opinion – Nearly three years have grumbled by since the government first signed off on the Abuse in Care Royal Commission. What on earth have they been up to?
Announcing the inquiry shortly after assuming her premiership, Jacinda Ardern said it would be a historic opportunity for the nation to “confront our history and make sure we don’t make the same mistakes again”.
A little noticed omission in the fine print appears to have been that rather a lot of this historical confrontation would take place behind closed doors.
At the same time, what relatively little has gone on in the public domain since the commission finally got going late last year hasn’t always enhanced its brief to quantify the abuse that took place in many of the old state-run institutions and their faith-based counterparts.
Defections. Bickering over terms of reference. Allegations of poor management. The surprise resignation of the inaugural chair, Sir Anand Satyanand, who stepped down from the role late last year for the chancellorship of the University of Waikato.
As might be expected for any initiative in which a number of advisors have had longer rap sheets than resumes, there has been the odd controversy over the commission’s choice of advisors.
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