State abuse survivors are calling on the government to extend its deadline for submissions on the Redress System for Abuse in Care Bill.
The legislation introduces a presumption against financial redress for those who have been convicted of serious violent or sexual crimes.
It also gives state agencies legal protections when making apologies so they can't be used as evidence in civil proceedings.
The bill passed its first reading in October and has been open for public submissions since 10 November, with the portal closing at midnight tomorrow.
The window for feedback has fallen on the first National Day of Reflection and the one year anniversary of the Crown's formal apology to survivors.
The New Zealand Collective of Abused in State Care Charitable Trust (NZCAST) chairman Karl Tauri said the timing was "unjust and disrespectful".
"The government chose to call for submissions at the same time they knew survivors were preparing for and holding events for the National Day of Reflection on and around 12 November 2025, a time dedicated to remembrance, healing, and honouring those harmed by state and faith-based institutions.
"This date was committed to by the Prime Minister a year ago when he delivered the apology to survivors, and government agencies were aware that over 65 events were being held throughout November, across the motu."
Tauri said the bill was about survivors and should not proceed without morehu getting adequate time to give their feedback.
"The government knows we are busy running events and that many survivors have disabilities or don't have access to computers, or they have other barriers that make it difficult to put together a submission.
"This Bill is about us, and we want to have our say about it, but setting this timeframe without support excludes many of us from being heard."
He called for the coalition to immediately extend the submission deadline, provide accessible and trauma-informed support and show a genuine commitment to survivor participation.
Another six weeks would be sufficient, he said.
"The process for this bill is part of an ongoing pattern of designing a redress system for the government's convenience rather than for survivors lived realities. It mirrors the concerns that NZCAST has about the Bill itself, that it entrenches government control, fails to meet Te Tiriti obligations, restricts legal rights, and continues to prioritise state protection over survivor justice.
"We will not stand by while survivors are shut out of decisions about our own redress, We were promised justice. We will not accept another process designed to minimise, silence, or exclude us."
Speaking this afternoon, the Minister responsible for the Crown's response to abuse in care Erica Stanford said she had not heard of a call to extend the submission deadline.
"I'll get briefed by my officials and I'll have a look at the timeline and see if that's possible but it's not something that I've heard yet. So let me take that away, have a chat to my officials and see what the timeline is."
Stanford said she was not aware the submission period had fallen on the first National Day of Remembrance.
"I didn't even know that opened on that day. That's a decision for the select committee chair to make but it's certainly something look, if we can, I'll consider, but I just need to get some advice from my officials about timelines."