Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has again encouraged people with information about allegations of a paedophile ring in the 1980s to come forward to police. 

The Royal Commission report into Abuse in Care was released this week and referenced allegations of offending against children by politicians and public servants in the 1980s. 

The long-awaited report into abuse in state and faith-based institutions was released on Wednesday. It found an estimated 200,000 people out of 655,000 in care were abused and many more neglected. 

The true number will never be known because some records were never created, had been lost or, in some cases, destroyed. 

The “unimaginable” abuse was widespread between 1950 and 2019 – and amounted to a “national disgrace”. Violence and sexual abuse were common, and, in some cases, children and young people were “trafficked” to members of the public for sex. 

“Instead of receiving care and support, children, young people and adults in care were exposed to unimaginable physical, emotional, mental and sexual abuse, severe exploitation and neglect,” the report says. 

It found people who had suffered during decades of systemic abuse had received little redress and “if this injustice is not addressed, it will remain as a stain on our national character forever”. 

The Government praised the bravery of the thousands of victims who shared their experiences with the commission over a six-year investigation period. Luxon announced he would deliver a formal apology to the victims and survivors on November 12 while decisions around how to provide redress were under way “at pace”. 

Later on Wednesday, Luxon delivered a speech in Parliament to a packed public gallery. 

“At the heart of this report are the stories of 2400 survivors - many of whom are here today,” Luxon said in Parliament to a packed public gallery. 

“To every person who took part, I say thank you for your exceptional strength, your incredible courage, and your confronting honesty. 

“Because of you, we know the truth about the abuse and trauma you have endured. I cannot take away your pain, but I can tell you this: You are heard and you are believed.” 

The report states it received “deeply suspicious” evidence but it was “unable to make a finding that organised abuse of children and young people in State care occurred by groups of people in public positions of influence”. 

Luxon was asked about this by reporters on Thursday and said, although the report had raised “some serious concerns” about the matter, it was not able to find any evidence to support those allegations. 

He was asked again today, during a walkabout in central Auckland with police, and reiterated his call for people to come forward if they knew anything more. 

”On that particular issue ... there were deep concerns about those allegations but the Royal Commission of Inquiry itself was unable to make a finding on that because there wasn’t substantiated evidence. 

“But again, I just encourage everyone and anyone, where you’ve seen or experienced abuse ... for many it is traumatising to go back through the process again. We are working through the survivors’ experiences ... to make sure they can have access to their own record that they’ve submitted to the inquiry. 

”We do encourage people to come forward to police so they can fairly go through a process of investigation.” 

Asked yesterday if he thought the matter required further investigation, Luxon said: “If that’s the case, we encourage anyone to come forward with police given the nature of that allegation. 

“I’d just encourage everybody: Read the full section on that part of the report because as you can see, while [...] we are taking it very seriously a concern and allegation like that, but at the end of the day, there was no evidence or finding that was made by the Royal Commission of Inquiry. 

“But, of course, we would want people to come forward and actually work with police to be able to advance any further investigation on that.” 

Luxon said he expects churches to front up and be held responsible. They would be included in the redress process for those impacted by the abuse in state and faith-based care. 

“We are calling them (churches) to responsibility and we expect them to be fully responsible and accountable.” 

Luxon was in Auckland today to meet with police and get a first-hand look at the state of the CBD. 

He said new police on the beat was a “great start” but more needs to be done to make the city safer. 

Luxon said the state of crime in Auckland city was not a “good impression” of our country for new arrivals and tourists. 

He said there was “anxiety” amongst retail staff and business owners, and acknowledged the issue of crime in the city couldn’t be fixed overnight. 

Luxon said it was a “collaborative effort” of police, security, the council and other stakeholders in the city. 

Police Minister Mark Mitchell said monthly meetings were being held with stakeholders such as the police, the council, residents’ associations and the City Mission to address the issue. 

Julia Gabel is a Wellington-based political reporter. She joined the Herald in 2020 and has most recently focused on data journalism.