New Zealand's government formally acknowledged that children were tortured at the state-run Lake Alice psychiatric unit and set up a redress scheme.
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What happened
The Abuse in Care Royal Commission counted 362 children who passed through the state-run Lake Alice Psychiatric Hospital child and adolescent unit between 1972 and 1978 and found many were not mentally ill yet were given unmodified electroconvulsive therapy or paraldehyde injections. On 24 July 2024 the government formally acknowledged that torture occurred at the unit as defined in the UN Convention against Torture. From 18 December 2024 to 31 December 2025 it ran a redress scheme offering a fixed NZ$150,000 payment or an amount assessed by an independent arbiter; 144 eligible registrations were received, and as of 20 November 2025 payments were still being processed. In May 2025 survivor Malcolm Richards filed a High Court judicial review of Cabinet's redress framework, arguing it is unlawful.
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Response
Contacted and made an on-record admission — exact wording not on record.
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What happened next (1)
As of 20 November 2025 New Zealand's Lake Alice redress scheme had 144 eligible registrations, with 103 expedited payments and 29 individualised payments made; applications closed 31 December 2025 and payments were still being processed. Source ↗