New Zealand's Prime Minister offered a national apology on Tuesday to hundreds of thousands of children and vulnerable adults who were abused in institutions over the past 70 years.

New Zealand's Prime Minister, Christopher Luxon apologized in Parliament, calling the abuse "horrific."

"It was heartbreaking. It was wrong. And it should never have happened. For many of you it changed the course of your life, and for that, the Government must take responsibility," he added.

In New Zealand, an estimated 200,000 people in state care and faith-based institutions were subjected to physical, mental and sexual abuse between 1950 and 2019, according to a report released in July by a public inquiry. Many of those abused were from the indigenous Maori community.

The report came after people who lived in such institutions sued the government and other authorities for apology and compensation on their suffering.

The prime minister said the government will create a redress system for survivors. A National Remembrance Day will also take place in November next year.