Prime
Minister Christopher Luxon says “as a human being, as a dad,
as Prime Minister” he’s really sorry about an “absolutely
horrific set of circumstances” where an 11-year old autistic
Māori girl was
mistaken for an adult, restrained and injected with
drugs.
He said he has spoken with Mental Health
Minister Matt Doocey who is looking at the response from the
family, and Doocey will respond in due course.
“We
were all quite heartbroken about that story when we first
heard about that.”
In March 2025, the kōtiro was
taken to Waikato Hospital by police, who were concerned for
her welfare after she was spotted in the middle of the road
and climbing a bridge.
Police misidentified her as a
missing 20-year-old mental health patient who was under a
compulsory treatment order.
The whānau of the girl
wanted a formal apology from the prime minister and greater
accountability from the state.
In a statement sent
last week, the whānau of the kōtiro said she was still
experiencing “traumatic flashbacks” because she felt unsafe
and the whole process had been both overwhelming and
daunting.
They have sought apologies from the Prime
Minister, Cabinet and the five ministers responsible for
Health, Mental Health, Disability Issues, Police, Crown
Relations and their respective agencies.
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They also
want an independent review of disabled people’s experiences
across all government agencies, “meaningful reform” of the
rights and wellbeing of autistic people and minors, and more
awareness to prevent similar harm from
occurring.
Asked if he would consider compensating the
whānau, Luxon said Doocey would give “due consideration to
all of those issues in due course”.
He said Doocey,
along with Health Minister Simeon Brown, was putting the
issue “into process”.
“To make sure we get a review
and actually get visibility, put sunlight on what actually
happened there. All I can say is, just as a human being to
that family, we’re incredibly sorry about that.” he
said.
Labour’s leader Chris Hipkins backed the
government to respond.
“It’s an absolutely tragic
situation and I don’t want to politicise that, because I
don’t have access to all of the information that the
government will have access to. I hope that they will get to
the bottom of exactly what happened and they will make the
right
decision.”
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