The New Zealand Catholic Bishops Conference and the Catholic Congregational Leaders Conference of Aotearoa NZ have welcomed the final report of the Royal Commission on Abuse in Care. The “Whanaketia – through pain and trauma, from darkness to light” report was made public on Wednesday afternoon after being tabled in Parliament. The bishops and congregational Read more
Some 29 Community Law Canterbury (CLC) staff say they are concerned about the appointment of new chief executive Lawrence Kimberley, a former Anglican priest. CLC provided legal services to many survivors who gave witness statements to the Royal Commission of Inquiry into abuse in faith-based institutions. It also acted for clients in claims against faith-based Read more
Financial compensation is just a starting point for a survivor of abuse at the Marylands School – he is calling for more. Darryl Smith suffered at the hands of the John of God Brothers in Australia and New Zealand. He has already undergone a redress settlement process in Australia and received compensation from the Queensland Read more
Darryl Smith says having the Royal Commission interim report “Stolen Lives, Marked Souls” on Marylands out in public is a good thing. Smith is a former student at Marylands School and a survivor. The Royal Commission acknowledges his quest for justice. He is pleased that finally the children’s cries for help that were ignored by Read more
“Abhorrent and should never have happened” is how Archbishop Paul Martin describes the sexual abuse at Marylands School. Martin is responding in a media release to the Royal Commission’s interim report Stolen Lives, Marked Souls. The report into the St John of God brothers’ Marylands School in Christchurch was released on Wednesday. Martin suggests it Read more
The Christian Congregation of Jehovah’s Witnesses (Australasia) Limited has filed an application for judicial review regarding the Royal Commission of Inquiry on Abuse in Care. It is seeking the review as well as a High Court declaration saying the Jehovah’s Witnesses (JW) church does not assume responsibility for the care of children, young people, or Read more
The Royal Commission into Abuse in Care’s repeated delays in producing its report insult abuse survivors. That’s what Lake Alice survivor Paul Zentveld said when he heard the Government had extended the Commission’s report deadline for a second time. The high-level inquiry was due to hand over its report by June this year. It will Read more
The Presbyterian Church community in Dunedin is looking in to a historic paedophile ring operating within the church community. The Church has appointed a senior King’s Counsel (KC) to investigate allegations that arose during the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in Care hearing last month. The Church has agreed terms of reference with the Read more
One of the five commissioners investigating historical abuse in care has left the inquiry just eight months before it is expected to wrap up and will not be replaced. Julia Steenson was appointed to the Abuse in Care Royal Commission of Inquiry in June 2020, following the resignation of Sir Anand Satyanand as its chair. Read more
Catholic Archbishop Paul Martin, the current Apostolic Administrator of the Diocese of Christchurch, accepts that survivors want the church to take responsibility for historical abuse cases and not just leave it to the particular order involved. He made the comment at the Royal Commission into Abuse in Care inquiry investigating historical abuse by the St Read more