WELLINGTON, New Zealand — Hundreds of survivors of abuse in state, foster and faith care arrived at New Zealand’s Parliament in Wellington on Tuesday, each representing thousands more.

They came to hear the government formally apologize for the “unimaginable” horrors they suffered as children and vulnerable adults after a long-running inquiry made its final report into the extent of the abuse in July.

“You deserved much better and I am deeply sorry that New Zealand did not do better with you,” Prime Minister Christopher Luxon told them in Parliament hours later.

Many had specially printed T-shirts. Some used canes or wheelchairs because of the abuse they suffered in hospitals, institutions and care homes after being taken from their families. Several were familiar faces from decades of advocacy and campaigning, largely ignored until recent years. The public gallery in the New Zealand Parliament is small – it seats less than 200 – and a total of 500 were drawn from a ballot to attend.

Many were disappointed that details of financial compensation for their suffering were not disclosed on Tuesday. Luxon has promised that a repair system will be “up and running next year”.

Survivors spoke in their own words about that day:

You Chapman, a survivor who advised the investigation

“Right now I feel alone and in utter despair at the way this government has taken on the task of recognizing all survivors. Once again, like our decades of struggle, we need to validate our experiences of care and our existence.

“We continue to live with the decimation of our identities, the rape and plundering of our cultures through incompetent decision-making and intentional moves to invalidate our experiences. The clear and total destruction of lives cannot be minimized or swept under the rug as the state, churches and faith-based organizations have done for decades.

“I think it was an empty and limited excuse. It feels like they are just taking things into account that they can continue to struggle with. Stop struggling and move on.”

Helen Beauchamp, who has lived in 20 foster homes since she was 4 years old

“My records said ‘not smart enough’ at age 4. My mother was in a hospital institution at the age of 12, put there by her father. So it was a generational thing.

“Survival has been a roller coaster and we still don’t have a picture of the outcome. It is sad that our system is very slow. That makes it very difficult for many of us, just waiting for a little closure. , some light This is a long timeline that needs to be continued.

“189 survivors were chosen by ballot to sit in the public gallery today and I was one, so I was quite lucky in that alone. Coming here is a broader and more meaningful way of apologizing to our children, to our own families.”

Jazmine Te Hiwi, a survivor of two camps for troubled youth

“Being recognized is the hardest part of being here. How do you accept that after being denied for 40 years of your life? You almost feel compelled to accept the apology.

“What gets me is that we have people in high places who still look down on us, they don’t really understand why we are the way we are. There is a reason why some of our young people commit crimes. I see myself in We were just innocent children who were taken advantage of.

“When I hear that these young people have been in trouble, all they’re looking for is some kind of attention, some kind of love. But nobody sees that, especially these people. They believe that “the way to fix them is to send them to boot camp.” But that’s what they did to us. And that is why we are here today. It’s like it went in one ear and out the other.”