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As part of a nationwide campaign, 150 white crosses were placed outside Whangaparāoa MP Mark Mitchell’s office in Ōrewa on Friday morning, November 22.
An Ōrewa resident, George [surname withheld], organised a group to stand in solidarity with those abused in state care. The group gathered behind the installation of crosses, with bright yellow signs to draw public attention.
Joining them was Paul Zentveld, survivor of the Lake Alice psychiatric facility, who entered state care aged 12. He is calling on kiwis to learn more about the stories of those abused in state care over the last 60 years.
The Royal Commission of Inquiry Report on Abuse in Care included nearly 3000 experiences. The six-year inquiry looked into the abuse of a quarter of a million people in state and faith-based care. George said his concern was that once the report and state apology slipped from news headlines, it would slip from people’s minds.
“We have to remind the public, and help them connect the dots,” he said, stressing that this was about more than historical events.
Dubbed the white cross campaign, George said the pop-up installations started on November 9 and 10, and more installations followed across the country, with a focus on Auckland and Wellington. One of these was on Parliament ground for the Prime Minister’s formal apology on November 12.
Zentveld said the group chose Ōrewa for one of their installations because they wanted Mark Mitchell, as the Minister for Police and Minister for Corrections, to instigate an investigation to hold the perpetrators accountable.
“Previous government’s cabinets funded these government agencies and NGOs for children to be safe,” Zentveld said. “They were not safe. They should be accountable for what happened to the children under their care.
“We know that there will never be true justice with these heads of different departments going to court or going to jail. But there can at least be accountability for their bad actions.”
Mitchell’s office door remained closed throughout the protest, and he said he hadn’t had any contact with the group.
“The Government acknowledges the significance of the Royal Commission report, which took six years to complete, and that survivors would like to see action. There are 138 recommendations made in the final report which was only tabled in July. This Government has started work on 28 recommendations. The Government will have more to say about our overall response in 2025, including on redress, which is a priority for this Government,” Mitchell said.
The long-awaited acknowledgement of torture, and the government apology that followed, was just the first step in the right direction for many survivors. Actively engaging with the Royal Commission of Inquiry, Zentveld recommended following the Australian model of redress, and detailed options that go beyond financial payouts.
“None of us were mentally ill when we went into Lake Alice, but we certainly came out damaged. A few of us have gone on to work and make a living, but a lot have not.
“So, once again, the needs of survivors will vary and the best way to accommodate this would be to give them a support system to address their needs without trying to generalise what those needs might be,” Zentfeld said.
He says the psychiatric stigma of Lake Alice followed him beyond the institution, where people were calling him a freak.
“They took away our mana,,” Zentveld said.
