Entitled ignorance

In his apology to victims of abuse of children and adults in state care, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said, “You have waited and waited for people to start listening to you. Now New Zealand has listened. Words do matter and I say these words with sincerity: I have read your stories, and I believe you.”

- Aaron Smale

It now seems like it was all a bit of an act, going by his response to Green MP Tamatha Paul talking about how many people in the community find the police intimidating.

Has he really been listening to victims and what their lives are like? His government seems intent on perpetuating the misery.

Last month, Paul told a panel discussion at Canterbury University she had received “nothing but complaints” about police patrols in her Wellington Central constituency. “It’s that constant visual presence that tells you that you might not be safe there, if there's heaps of cops,” she said.

She also accused police of “waiting for homeless people to leave their spot, packing their stuff up and throwing it in the bin”. She said other things in a way that probably didn't help her cause. But the gist of it - that there are people in the community who are intimidated and distrustful of the police - is absolutely correct.

I know this because I've dealt with dozens of state abuse victims, and many victims who gave evidence to the Royal Commission of Inquiry said the same. Many of the victims end up living on the streets. Catastrophic childhood trauma will do that to you.