17 December 2025
Pānui newsletter update
This pānui newsletter is from the Crown Response Office. We coordinate, monitor and report on the government’s response to the Royal Commission.
This is a summary of news over the last couple of months from November 2025 to December 2025.
Round two of a Survivor Support and Recognition Fund
A second round of the Survivor Support and Recognition Fund is now available to non-government organisations and community groups to deliver support and services to survivors of abuse and neglect in care and local authorities to care for unmarked graves.
This fund will be contestable with priority given to those who didn’t receive funding from the first round.
$2 million is available to non-government organisations and community groups to deliver support and services to survivors of abuse in care, with a $50,000 cap per organisation. $700,000 is allocated local authorities to care for unmarked graves.
The fund is administered by Community Operations Hāpai
Hapori in partnership with the Crown Response Office.
Applications close midnight 27 February 2026.
To apply visit the Community Matters website. The short address to type into a website to apply is: https://tinyurl.com/4rpep2rk
Updates on the Government’s response to the Royal Commission’s recommendations
The government’s response to the Royal Commission’s recommendations covers the following three areas:
- addressing the wrongs of the past
- making the care system safe
- empowering those in care, their whānau and
communities.
In this newsletter we provide an update about addressing the wrongs of the past.
Redress implementation update
A redress website has been developed to provide information in relation to addressing the wrongs of the past through improvements to redress for survivors of abuse in State care.
Updates are made to the website as and when decisions are made and improvements are implemented.
The latest update is the publication of the first quarterly report describing progress for the period 1 July – 30 September 2025.
You can find it on the Redress New Zealand Website:
Two new board members have joined the Survivor Experiences Board
Frana Chase and Rachel Turner have joined current board members, Eugene Ryder KSM (Co-chair), Moeapulu Frances Tagaloa KSO (Co-chair), Anne Bell, Karah Mackie and Gary Williams KSO MNZM.
Biographies of two new board members
Frana Chase has 30 years experience in Child Protection and Whanau, Hapu Iwi and community development and transformation. She has previously served as the National Director of Youth Justice and Care at Oranga Tamariki responsible for the transformation. She was the CE of Te Oranganui and Manager at Kokiri Trust in Health, Social Services and the national implementation of Whanau Ora. Frana has also held governance board roles within government and within her own hapu and Iwi.
Rachel Turner is currently Rōpū Kaitiaki with Whaikaha to support the Māori Deaf Rōpū Kaitiaki members to coordinate with NZSL Board and Whaikaha, and is also an advisor for the Deaf Cultural Content with Arts Access Aotearoa. She has been a New Zealand Sign Language (NZSL) Tutor across a range of educational institutions and services in Waikato, Bay of Plenty and Auckland.
Contact details
· general enquiries email:
contact@abuseinquiryresponse.govt.nz
- postal: Crown Response Office, Te Kawa Mataaho Public Service Commission, PO Box 329, Wellington 6140.
