The Redress System for Abuse in Care Bill is currently open for submissions. Submissions close next week - at 11.59 pm on Wednesday, 26 November 2025. The Social Services and Community Committee invites anyone who may have views on this bill to have their say. Some submitters have asked to share their views without the usual approach of doing so in a public forum. Accordingly, the committee has agreed that:

• anonymous submissions will be accepted
• oral submissions can be heard in private, if requested.

Any submitters who wish to remain anonymous, or wish to make a private oral submission, should note this when submitting through the submissions portal, or can email the committee secretariat at socialservices.community@parliament.govt.nz to discuss this further.

The committee intends for this to give the opportunity for people to share their views without any personal information being released online. Submitters can share their views in writing without their name or identifying information being shown. Those that wish to speak to the committee about their views on this bill can do so without the hearing being open to the public or live streamed.

For more details about the bill:

• Read the full content of the bill
• Get more details about the bill
• Make a submission on this bill

This bill is intended to:

• introduce a presumption against financial redress for serious violent or sexual offenders
• provide legal protections for core State agencies when making apologies for abuse in state care, so that personal apologies given by core State agencies (in relation to providing redress for abuse in care) would not be admissible as evidence in civil proceedings.

Submissions on this bill were opened from 22 October 2025.

© Scoop Media