Hon Paul Davison Appointed Independent Redress Officer Under Abuse in Care Act

Hon Paul Davison KC KSO has been appointed Independent Redress Officer for a five-year term from 1 August 2026, Lead Coordination Minister Erica Stanford announced today.

Established under the Redress System for Abuse in Care Act 2026, the Independent Redress Officer will determine financial redress applications from survivors of abuse in State care who are also serious offenders. The role will also consider exemption applications from survivors with an advanced terminal illness.

Hon Davison is a former High Court judge with extensive experience across civil, criminal, regulatory, family, trust, and professional disciplinary matters. He has also appeared as counsel before several commissions of inquiry, including the Royal Commission of Inquiry into the Air New Zealand DC-10 accident at Mt Erebus in Antarctica, and served as Counsel Assisting the Commission of Inquiry into Oakley Hospital.

As independent arbiter of the individualised pathway for survivors tortured at the Lake Alice Child and Adolescent Unit, Hon Davison developed a framework for determining redress for 37 survivors and carried out his duties with care and compassion.

This role will require the same attributes and provides an important independent mechanism for considering redress for survivors who are also serious offenders. I would like to thank Hon Davison for his willingness to undertake this important role, Erica Stanford says.