8. Pacific Peoples had a shared history and whakapapa with Māori and Aotearoa New Zealand long before the arrival of Christian missionaries and colonisation. Large-scale migration, starting in the 1950s, brought Pacific families the opportunity for a new life in Aotearoa New Zealand. Racism, economic hardship and separation from their kainga (family) made it hard for some to adjust. Churches became the hearts of Pacific communities, replacing the village structures and support systems of their previous homes.

9. Racism, negative perceptions about migrants and ‘overstayers’, and moral panic about youth behaviours increased the surveillance and scrutiny of Pacific Peoples by authorities and society. The challenges faced by many Pacific families, such as racism, housing insecurity, poverty and loss of culture and identity after migrating, also contributed to disproportionate numbers of Pacific children and young people entering social welfare care.

10. Religion and culture were so interwoven that it was simply a given that many Pacific families placed their children and young people into faith-based education, including boarding schools. Government education scholarships brought some Pacific young people to Aotearoa New Zealand, where they were expected to excel with minimal practical or emotional support.

11. Pacific survivors in State and faith-based care were subjected to high levels of physical and sexual abuse. Pacific survivors talked about acts of violence that often came with racist verbal abuse targeted at their ethnic identities, languages, cultures, and physical characteristics, especially their skin colour. Pacific survivors were separated from their kainga (families), which created a disconnection from their language, culture and identities. They told the Inquiry how their ethnicity was grouped together with Māori or other ethnicities under ‘Polynesian’, or incorrectly recorded, or not recorded at all.

12. Many Pacific survivors endured profound struggles with belonging, identity and self-worth after being disconnected from their kainga, communities, culture, values and language. The effects of this cultural neglect were exacerbated by the targeted racial abuse they were subjected to. These acts transgressed the core Pacific cultural concept of the vā, or the “space between” that holds people and things together. Some survivors lost their faith because of being taken away from their families or being abused in faith-based care.

13. The personal factors that contributed to Pacific children, young people and adults being placed into care also meant they were more vulnerable to being abused and neglected in care. This was due to societal attitudes and discrimination based on racism, ableism, disablism, sexism, homophobia, transphobia and negative stereotypes about children and young people, poverty and welfare dependency.

14. Pacific children, young people and adults were more likely to be placed in care, and to be abused and neglected while in care, if they were also living in poverty, or were Māori, Deaf, disabled or experiencing mental distress, or had experienced adverse childhood events, or had a deferential attitude to people in positions of authority. Pacific people who had multiple combinations of these characteristics were at higher risk.

15. Ultimately, the State failed in its responsibilities to keep Pacific children, young people and adults in care safe from abuse and neglect. The State failed to uphold the human rights of Pacific Peoples in care. Pacific survivors and their families’ perspectives and solutions were often marginalised, and they were excluded from influencing the design and delivery of care. Discriminatory legislation, policies and practices reflected the views and attitudes of the people who designed them. By and large, they lacked diversity and lived experience, and their attitudes reflected those of broader Aotearoa New Zealand society.

16. Institutional and structural racism in the care system reflected the societal attitudes introduced through colonisation and Christian beliefs. These attitudes were underpinned by the view that Pākehā culture, lifestyle and values are superior to those of other cultures. Racism contributed significantly to the disproportionate numbers of Pacific People in care, and the abuse and neglect they were subjected to. Aotearoa New Zealand still has significant steps to take before racism is eliminated from our society.