The Government completed its 100-day programme by announcing its promised inquiry into the abuse of young New Zealanders in state care.
It opted for a royal commission to undertake the task, though the instructions which will shape the commission's work remain unsettled. Consultation has opened on the terms of reference, but they are unlikely to stray far from the draft indications which provide an insight into what will - and what will not - be part of the commission's ambit.
The commission, chaired by former Governor-General Sir Anand Satyanand, is concerned primarily with institutions which had direct or indirect responsibility for an individual's care. This covers child welfare centres, borstals or psychiatric hospitals, and where services were contracted to other institutions.
The intention is to discover what physical, social and emotional abuse occurred in these settings, whether a heavier burden fell on Maori or Pacific people or those with disabilities or mental health issues, and to ensure it does not happen again.
Schools, prisons and church-run schools are excluded from the inquiry, though the experience of individuals who passed through these places could be considered if they were in state care at the time.