News & Events

Best known for their door-to-door evangelising, Jehovah’s Witnesses are on a quest to save the ‘wicked’ from damnation. For victims of sexual abuse within the organisation, however, that quest has seen perpetrators shielded from justice. Amy Parsons-King has met several survivors as part of an investigation for The Spinoff. These are their stories. Everything changed…

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 to keep the claims from being made public, and a court order prevents publication of…

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 teacher and rugby coach at King’s College between 1988 and 1994. He is currently serving…

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 near three-year ban ordered by the High Court on publication of a video investigation…

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 man, who is now 20, was a teenager when he was given a “lucky break” by Judge…

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 serious failures by the school’s senior leadership and governance. Cartwright and Joychild released their report…

“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 lined gallery walls in Taranaki, and now he hopes the exhibit will help spread awareness…

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” its religion and ignoring evidence showing why it should be excluded from the inquiry. In…

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* never had a childhood. What was meant to be filled with innocence and joy was…

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 Christchurch, the city dissolving into large fields and fast roads, there’s a cluster of buildings…

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 of Social Development’s Rapid Payment Framework, which offers quick payouts based on how long a person…

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 in Care. It revealed 26 priests, 18% of the 131 who served in the Dunedin…