19829 (2025). Hon Willow-Jean Prime to the Minister of Justice

19829 (2025). Hon Willow-Jean Prime to the Minister of Justice: What responsibility, if any, does the Minister have for each of the 138 recommendations of the Royal Commission into Historical Abuse in State Care and in the Care of Faith-based Institutions?

Hon Paul Goldsmith: As Minister of Justice, I am actively contributing to the Government’s response to the recommendations made in the Royal Commission into Historical Abuse in State Care and in the Care of Faith-based Institutions reports. Ministerial responsibility for individual recommendations remains under active consideration at this time, and I expect more information about this topic to become available in due course. However, work has commenced on several legislative amendments within the Justice portfolio that respond to recommendations of the Royal Commission, including: 1. Two amendments to existing aggravating factors in the Sentencing Act 2002. These changes reflect the vulnerability of victims of offending in State or Faith-based care and the vulnerability of victims of violence or neglect who are under 18 years old. The amendments were incorporated into the Sentencing (Reform) Amendment Bill which was passed on 26 March 2025. 2. An amendment to the Crimes Act 1961 to explicitly include a reference to disability in the definition of vulnerable adult has been introduced to Parliament in the Responding to Abuse in Care Legislation Amendment Bill. The Bill was reported back by the Social Services and Community Select Committee in March 2025. Work is also underway to consider an amendment to the New Zealand Bill of Rights Act 1990 to introduce a stand-alone right to security of the person, and to consider amendment to the Limitation Act 1950 and Limitation Act 2010 to remove limitation provisions for abuse in care survivors.