***Distressing content warning***

Hake Halo is of Niuean descent. He and his parents came to New Zealand when he was six years old. He went to various primary schools, but he felt lost at school without knowing the language and he was put into a special class. After his father passed away, he got into trouble at school and was sent to Owairaka Boys Home. He was then admitted to the Lake Alice Child and Adolescent Unit for nine months. The survivor’s evidence states that while at Lake Alice, he initially received ECT as a treatment and then received ECT as punishment when he remained conscious as electric current was delivered to his temples. A year after leaving Lake Alice, he was sent to Carrington Hospital. The survivor spoke about his experiences being at the centre of the 1977 Mitchell Inquiry. He discussed the psychiatric and emotional consequences of his experience at Lake Alice and the impact on his relationships and ability to work.