Source: New Zealand Government
The Government has released a report by independent arbiter Hon Paul Davison KC, outlining his determination on financial redress for 37 survivors who were tortured at the Lake Alice Psychiatric Hospital Child and Adolescent Unit (the Lake Alice Unit) and chose the individualised pathway.
“No Government before now has acknowledged torture or apologised for it happening in New Zealand. In July last year, we formally acknowledged that torture occurred at the Lake Alice Unit as defined in the United Nations Convention Against Torture. A specific redress scheme was established in December for survivors who were tortured at the Unit to serve as an expression of our regret as to the many ways in which they were failed,” Lead Coordination Minister Erica Stanford says.
“We know no amount of money can ever undo or fully recognise the harm and abuse survivors were subjected to.”
“Survivors could choose either an expedited payment of $150,000 or an individual payment process where each claim was independently assessed by arbiter Hon Paul Davison KC to determine payment amounts. It was important Lake Alice survivors had a choice.”
- 144 eligible registrations were received with 105 survivors opting for the expedited pathway to receive an immediate payment of $150,000
- The Government designated a fiscal envelope of $8.39 million to Hon Davison to allocate using a framework developed with survivors’ independent legal advisors.
- 37 survivors choosing the individual pathway with Hon Paul Davison determining a payment range of $160,000 to $600,000 reflecting their individual experiences at the Lake Alice Unit.
- All eligible survivors also receive a personalised apology and access to supports as required.
Of the individualised pathway payments:
| Band | Number of survivors | Payment range |
| Severe | $160,000 – $170,000 | |
| More Severe | 20 – 30 | $175,000 – $250,000 |
| Most Severe | $375,000 – $600,000 |
“I want to acknowledge the work of Hon Davison KC and the courage, strength and resilience survivors have demonstrated throughout this process. I feel privileged to have met several of them personally. As a Government, we have taken responsibility and delivered on our commitment to properly recognise the torture they experienced,” Ms Stanford says.
The Government continues to provide redress as it finalises payments, delivers formal apologies, and offers wellbeing and other support.
Notes to editor:
Lake Alice torture redress comprises:
- a payment which recognises an individual’s experience of torture as a child. Eligible survivors could choose either an expedited payment of $150,000 or an individual payment process where each claim is independently assessed by an independent arbiter who will determine payment amounts.
- a new written apology explicitly acknowledging torture from the Prime Minister and the Minister for Mental Health
- access to wellbeing and other support.
As of 20 November 2025, 103 expedited payments and 29 individualised payments have been made, and 70 survivors have received wellbeing and financial support.
The Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in Care found that many of the 362 children who went through the Lake Alice Unit between 1972 and 1978 did not have any form of mental illness yet were subjected to unmodified ECT or paraldehyde injections.
