Maori Women’s Welfare League president Prue Kapua says the new Government needs to consult widely on the terms of reference for an inquiry into the historic abuse of children in state care, rather than leave it to the bureaucrats.

The inquiry is in Labour’s 100-day plan, after the previous government rejected an inquiry because it said its policies fixed any historic problems.

Ms Kapua says the league also made the state care inquiry a priority, after years of cleaning up the mess created by the state.

"It’s us who are most affected and we actually have to do something to address those who are now living with what occurred through state care in the past. It is about keeping people accountable but it is at the end about making things better or trying to improve the position for Maori, for our whanau," she says.

Ms Kapua says unless the mistakes of the past are identified they can happen again.

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