The Ministry of Social Development (MSD) is being accused of bullying survivors of state abuse and sweeping their claims under the carpet.
One survivor, who we've called 'Rachel' to protect her identity, was sexually abused while in state care in Dunedin Girls' Home during the 1980s.
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She told Newshub Nation she made formal complaints about her abuser, an employee named Edward Anand, but that her complaints were never passed to police.
Anand eventually resigned following further allegations of misconduct. But the ministry rehired him to work with other vulnerable children in 2001, at the Epuni Care and Protection Facility.
He faced more disciplinary action there, and resigned after a year.
Eventually more survivors came forward, and in March 2016 Anand was found guilty on multiple counts of rape and indecent assault.
Abuse survivor advocate Louise Nicholas has worked closely with Rachel and she was "speechless" that he was re-employed by the ministry.
"He ripped her childhood away from her, and she has to live with this."
Ms Nicholas accompanied Rachel to meetings with MSD officials in 2016 and says she was shocked at the treatment Rachel received.
"In the first meeting I absolutely felt that the survivor was being bullied."
Rachel says she felt the ministry tried to brush her off and dismiss her claims.
"It was disgraceful, they wanted to hide it. They wanted to sweep it under the carpet and hope I went away."
Ms Nicholas is now calling for the Royal Commission into Historical Abuse in State Care to investigate cases right up to the present day.
Rachel says she wants to ensure the ministry learns from its mistakes, to prevent this happening again.
"If MSD want to help people, put their hand up, say we made a mistake. Don't hide.
"I would put everything on it that Anand has more victims out there and they're unaware of what they can do."
MSD says their records show the original abuse complaint was passed on to police in the 1980s.
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