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Cooper Legal - Latest News [Page 1]
Shocking Privacy Breach As MSD Publishes The Names Of Survivors Of Abuse In State Care Online
Tuesday, 25 November 2025, 4:58 pm | Cooper Legal
Lydia Oosterhoff says she was looking for a recent article about the firm’s work when she literally stumbled across an Official Information Act (OIA) response that MSD had published in full online. More >>
Renewed Calls For Public Accountability As New Zealand Remembers Survivors Of Abuse In State Care
Wednesday, 12 November 2025, 12:27 pm | Cooper Legal
“The National Day of Remembrance was announced by the Prime Minister a year ago, when he made a public apology to, what he referred to as, ‘treasured survivors’. This apology was recommended by the Royal Commission." More >>
First Reading Of Legislation Marks A Dark Day For Survivors Of Abuse In State Care
Thursday, 16 October 2025, 10:54 am | Cooper Legal
The Redress System for Abuse in Care Bill purports to establish a legal presumption that serious violent and sexual offenders are not eligible for financial redress for abuse suffered in State care. More >>
Government Accused Of Acting Like An Authoritarian Regime
Tuesday, 24 June 2025, 11:04 am | Cooper Legal
Survivors need legal representation. We have seen time and time again that when a self-represented claimant approaches the agency that abused them, they are told ‘nothing to see here’ and that they do not have grounds for redress, Ms Cooper and Senior ... More >>
Government Response Makes A Mockery Of The Abuse In Care Royal Commission Recommendations
Monday, 9 June 2025, 12:51 pm | Cooper Legal
Our Government has failed to rise to the challenge the Royal Commission set for it, and has chosen a miserly response that in no way meets our international obligations to provide effective redress. More >>
Coalition Government Is Misleading Survivors Of Abuse
Tuesday, 20 May 2025, 10:15 am | Cooper Legal
The announcement itself was disappointing enough for survivors. Now they are being told parts of the announcement were just smoke and mirrors. Quite frankly, it’s shocking, but it is nothing less than we have come to expect. More >>
Government Fails Yet Again; Totally Ignores The Recommendations Of The Royal Commission
Friday, 9 May 2025, 3:19 pm | Cooper Legal
Cooper Legal’s Principal Partner, Sonja Cooper says the Government’s pre-Budget announcement regarding redress is a further kick in the guts for survivors. More >>
Lawyers Join Calls For Declarations Of Torture Outside Of Lake Alice Hospital
Monday, 31 March 2025, 1:34 pm | Cooper Legal
Since the Government’s announcement last year that those placed at the Lake Alice Child & Adolescent Unit within a small window of time would receive significant compensation, Cooper Legal has called on Government to extend the settlement framework to cover ... More >>
Lake Alice Payments Discriminatory
Wednesday, 18 December 2024, 5:25 pm | Cooper Legal
“While we applaud the Govt for trying to do the right thing for Lake Alice survivors & in recognising international recommendations, why is this Govt not doing right by all other survivors and recognising domestic recommendations?” Ms Cooper and ... More >>
Chief Ombudsman Highly Critical Of MSD's Historic Abuse Processes And Payments
Wednesday, 4 December 2024, 8:01 pm | Cooper Legal
“We raised this complaint in 2020 due to our concerns that the Ministry’s process was significantly flawed, and it is vindicating to have many of those concerns upheld after a lengthy investigation”, says Cooper Legal Principal Partner Sonja Cooper. More >>
Censorship Is Alive And Well In New Zealand
Friday, 15 November 2024, 3:45 pm | Cooper Legal
“What this looks like to us is censorship of anyone who tries to disagree with this Government, which causes a chilling effect” says Cooper Legal Senior Associate, Lydia Oosterhoff. More >>
Hollow Apology Fails To Resonate With Survivors
Tuesday, 12 November 2024, 3:52 pm | Cooper Legal
Today, the Government had an historic and monumental opportunity to start righting decades of wrongs against survivors. Unfortunately, the Government has yet again let down survivors who placed their trust in it. More >>
Disappointment As Government Lets Survivors Down Yet Again
Tuesday, 5 November 2024, 3:33 pm | Cooper Legal
“Our clients were both hopeful and naturally, very worried about what the Prime Minister will say next Tuesday. To hear this morning that the Government does not intend to make any announcements about redress is frankly frustrating and shows that ... More >>
Equity, Not Just Fairness, Required For Survivors Of Abuse In State Care
Monday, 4 November 2024, 3:59 pm | Cooper Legal
Cooper Legal’s Principal Partner, Sonja Cooper says that while the Government might say that paying Lake Alice survivors’ legal fees is the fair thing to do, the State is still not treating all survivors equitably. More >>
Crown Continues To Keep Abuse Files Secret In Breach Of High Court Declaration
Sunday, 15 September 2024, 12:33 am | Cooper Legal
Survivors and the High Court were right not to trust the Crown because now, even with a formal High Court declaration in place, MSD has told us that it will continue to withhold the documents because it needs time to ‘consider’ the decision. More >>
High Court Tells Government Not To Keep Documents Secret From Abuse Survivors
Wednesday, 21 August 2024, 9:26 am | Cooper Legal
Yesterday, the High Court told Government Departments that survivors of abuse in State care have the right to access information that the State holds about them. More >>
Government Fails To Recognise Parallels Between Whakapakari And Its Boot Camps
Friday, 26 July 2024, 12:06 pm | Cooper Legal
A law firm that specialises in working with survivors of abuse in State care is disappointed that the Government fails to recognise that its boot camps can be directly compared to previous boot camps from the 1990s and 2000s. More >>
Lawyers For Survivors Support Royal Commission’s Call For Urgent Action
Wednesday, 24 July 2024, 5:07 pm | Cooper Legal
Christopher Luxon and his Government have the opportunity to do what no Government has done to date and provide the redress and support for survivors that they are entitled to. More >>
Lawyers For Survivors Welcome The Royal Commission’s Final Report
Wednesday, 24 July 2024, 11:28 am | Cooper Legal
Cooper Legal celebrates and welcomes the tabling of the Royal Commission’s final report, Whanaketia – through pain and trauma, from darkness to light (“Whanaketia”), but also remembers those survivors who have died waiting for accountability. More >>
Law Firm Concerned About Cuts To Government Records Teams As MSD Settles Records Delays For $1.7million
Tuesday, 21 May 2024, 5:00 pm | Cooper Legal
A law firm that works with survivors of abuse in State care is concerned, but not surprised, by information that Oranga Tamariki and Te Rua Mahara o te Kawanatanga plan to cut roles at the agencies’ critical records units. More >>
