News

Prominent leaders within New Zealand’s Catholic Church are being investigated by police over historical allegations of abuse. The Herald understands that allegations have been made against three officials who are involved or were previously involved in the church. The individuals are fighting…

A King’s College teacher jailed for child abuse offences in the UK was being supervised by a man now known to be a serial paedophile, a mother of a former student has told Stuff. Paul Dodd, now 64-years-old, worked as a history…

Crown lawyers endure strong questioning from a panel of judges as Newsroom goes to court to overturn a ban on a video investigation into Oranga Tamariki.  Tim Murphy reports. Newsroom has gone to the Court of Appeal to try to reverse…

A man who raped and sexually assaulted fellow high school students at parties is asking the Supreme Court to keep his name secret – despite three survivors of his offending taking the brave step of having their name suppression removed. The young…

A damning independent inquiry into sexual and physical abuse at Auckland’s Dilworth School has uncovered a “catalogue of damage and injustice” spanning more than half a century, from 1950 to 2005. Led by Dame Sylvia Cartwright and Frances Joychild KC, the inquiry found…

“Confronting”. That’s how Tim Whaitiri Henderson, of Dove Hawke’s Bay, describes the “Hopeful Horizons” exhibition that will be showcased as part of the 2023 Fotofest in Hawke’s Bay. He recalls people breaking down in tears when they first saw the faces that…

The Jehovah’s Witness church has been fighting scrutiny from a national inquiry into the historical abuse of children for three years, court documents show. The church has accused the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in Care of wilfully “miscasting”…

After surviving 10 years of hell, Anna* held on to hope her perpetrators would finally atone for the sins of the past.  Tim Scott investigates how the Presbyterian Church’s redress retraumatised Anna, convincing her it is washing its hands of accountability. Anna*…

At Marylands School, sexual and physical abuse by Catholic brothers was brutal, prevalent and normalised. Survivors were so traumatised that, after they left, they found it difficult to understand the boundaries between right and wrong. At the frayed edge of…

A group of state care abuse survivors are taking the Attorney-General David Parker to court over a repayment scheme that they argue doesn’t acknowledge the serious sexual, physical and psychological abuse that they were subjected to. The dispute looks at the Ministry…

Abuse allegations were levelled at nearly one in five Dunedin Catholic priests since 1950, the church has revealed. New research has been published by Te Ropu Tautoko, the group that co-ordinates Catholic Church engagement with the Royal Commission on Abuse…

ANALYSIS: A Royal Commission report into the sexual abuse horrors at the Marylands school in Christchurch took the headlines last week. But, writes National Correspondent Steve Kilgallon, it was an expensive exercise which may have no real impact other than…