As the Abuse in Care Royal Commission of Inquiry entered the final stages of public hearings, MCNZ was one of eight faith-based organisations asked to respond to questions from the commissioners and legal representatives. The Church placed survivors at the very centre of their unreserved apology and promised to take responsibility and action.

On 18 October 2022 representatives from the Methodist Church of New Zealand and Wesley College responded to questions from the Abuse in Care Royal Commission of Inquiry regardingthe abuse and neglect of children, young people and vulnerable adults in their care and the organisational failures that allowed the abuse to happen. MCNZ was one of eight faith-based organisations asked to respond to questions around how care systems were monitored; the handling of complaints; the nature and extent of physical, psychological, sexual abuse and neglect; and to what extent their care met the special needs of the people in their care.

The faith-based institutions’ hearings concluded the investigation for the commission of inquiry that has spent 133 days hearing from survivors and from representatives of the many institutions and organisations that failed in their care. Initial terms of reference for the commission of inquiry were for abuse suffered between 1950 and 1999, however the commission recommendations will take into account stories from survivors’ experiences beyond 1999.

Representatives from the Methodist Church of New Zealand and Wesley College at the day-long hearing included:

• Rev Tara Tautari – General Secretary of the Methodist Church
• ‘Etuini Talakai – Vice President of the Methodist Church of New Zealand
• Dr Brian Evans – Principal and Tumuaki of Wesley College
• Chris Johnston – General Secretary of Wesley College Trust Board
• Rev Ian Faulkner – former Principal of Wesley College
• Sekope Kepu – Old Boy Wesley College, community leader

MCNZ Counsel Maria Dew KC opened the public hearing with a full and unreserved apology on behalf of the Church and the College. She acknowledged the pain and suffering of all those who were abused, and applaudedthe courage and bravery of every survivor who has come forward. The majority of redress claims received by the church - currently 20 out of 28 - have been or are in the process of being resolved.

Tara opened with a mihi followed by an unequivocal admission of the failure of the church in its sacred duty to ‘do no harm’. "On behalf of the Methodist Church I acknowledge the pain and suffering of all those who were abused while in the care of the church. The church carries the primary responsibility for ensuring the protection and wellbeing of those in its care. We failed in this sacred duty and we are determined to make amends. We apologise with sorrow. It was wrong and should not have happened.”

Many factors contributed to the failures

Tara acknowledged the church’s lack of expertise in caring for the complex needs of the children in its care and the unhelpfulness of the State in providing adequate resources. “In those times we were charged with responsibility of care for children coming from dysfunctional families. This dysfunctionality has different reasons. I don’t think the church understood the complexity of that and had a one-size-fits-all approach that did not allow children to be cared for in the way they should have been cared for”.

A lack of staff training, inadequate provision, monitoring and oversight of policies, lack of transparency, inadequate supervision and improper reporting contributed to the abuse and the impunity of those involved. In one case it was clearly seen that a majority of the leadership in the hands of a small group of mainly patriarchal, pakeha leaders led to an imbalance of power. Lack of transparent reporting to Conference and failure to act in 1961 to recommendations from a commission established at Conference 1959 in response to reports of abuse in care were also highlighted. Tara acknowledged the shame the church carries for situations where survivors were not believed and the trauma that caused. “There was a complete disregard for the survivors’ experiences. The desire was to protect the reputation of the church and powerful people within the church.”

Victim blaming and denial of allegations of abuse all contributed to the abuse and the way in which survivors were failed. Tara also recognised inadequate record-keeping contributed to the lack of identity and value felt by survivors. Some children in homes had just two A4 pages of notes documenting several years of their lives spent in care. In some cases, there were no staff records, a failing that Tara speculated was due to the fact it was not considered a necessary practice at that time. “Church did not recognise the importance of maintaining those records and the detrimental impact on people trying to piece together their lives.“

Wesley College

Rev Ian Faulkner and Chris Johnston, in response to survivors at the hearing as well as those listening and those yet to come forward, acknowledged the pain and hurt for those abused physically, sexually, emotionally and psychologically at Wesley College. Along with many failures already identified, Wesley College had some unique factors that contributed historically to student abuse including the militaristic style of staff and their lack of formal training.

Staff in the 1960s included many ex-military personnel who were untrained in teaching and had no expertise in cultural diversity or pastoral care. Students, many of whom were from diverse cultural and sometimes disadvantaged backgrounds, included those drawn from children's homes, state care, Māori from rural areas, and Pasifika from the islands. Many young Pasifika and Māori boys on scholarships were sent to Wesley College for the education the school offered. Often it was their first experience of living away from whanau. A hierarchy where older students had control over younger students – especially in the accommodation hostels - contributed to abusive behaviours Chris Johnston said were ‘appalling and not appropriate'.

Despite efforts made to change the prevailing culture of bullying and abuse, conflict and dysfunctional relationships between boards, inadequate resources, lack of support for survivors and perpetrators, poor communication between school and hostel staff, a culture of ‘no narking / no snitching’ and dated facilities were all identified as contributors to Wesley College failing in its care for students.

“You were abused when you should have been in a safe place. We acknowledge your experiences and that there are likely others who suffered traumatic experiences, those who have made redress claims and those who have not yet come forward. We acknowledge the factors that enabled this to occur; inadequate supervision, students put in supervisory roles and inadequate facilities. We unreservedly apologise for the trauma you suffered because of the abuse. For survivors we appreciate and acknowledge our apology comes many decades too late,” Chris said.

The Wesley Way

Tara spoke strongly of the inappropriate understanding of the Wesley Way mantra that contributed to a school culture where abuse was considered acceptable. ”This would not be what the church understands to be the Wesley Way. The culture of abuse became so distorted as to appropriate itself on this term, a pathway of some pseudo brotherhood you had to buy into when absolutely it is abuse and a total distortion of what should be the Wesley Way. We need to understand the Wesley Way as it is now used has undertones of coercion and abuse in order to belong and that is unacceptable. Can you imagine what is to have the name John Wesley, founder of the Methodist Church, associated with most horrific abuse, distorted in such a way it has been misappropriated to mean this type of abuse? It has come to mean the abject subjection of young people and that is categorically unacceptable to the church. It cannot continue.”

Sekope Kepu, a respected community leader, sports professional and Wesley College old boy shared a deeply personal testimony about his time at Wesley College. “As a 13-year-old going there, I was excited about what that school could offer me … If I’m being honest, and brutally honest, about my first year at Wesley, it was grueling at times.”

Sekope has only recently shared his experiences with his whanau and believes there are others who will benefit from sharing their stories. He is committed to ensuring the school provides a safe environment based on the pillars of Tongan wellbeing and respect.

“I'd encourage some as well to come forward to talanoa, to have this discussion so that we do improve the school that we love dearly in a positive direction and in a positive way and lift all the dark cloud that we're trying to lift, the tala of the pulonga that's been on our school for a long time now,” Sekope said.

“We need to mend the va, turn the tide and know what a healthy Methodist school community looks like”. In Palangi terms the Commissioner compared this to a restorative justice process. The Pasifika approach is to embark on a collaborative process where the wellbeing of the survivor is imperative to the healing process.

“As a parent now, I would carefully navigate that space because it’s important knowing who my children go to school with, interacting with their parents. In saying that, back then there were no resources. I believe that’s massive. We need to provide those social workers, support and people to aid and help the students.”

Tania Sharkey, Counsel assisting the Inquiry, said that although many survivors “talk about being deprived of an education” and are now struggling, “These survivors, they don't want to shut the school down, but they want this issue resolved once and for all”.

Going Forward

The Commission will produce its final report in 2023, however as Tara acknowledged at the hearing - and survivors reiterated in their recommendations and closing statements - policies and processes are just words unless they are put into practice, and monitored.

“You can have all the policies you want, but unless they are implemented in such a way that you can then monitor them and ensure the outcomes you are expecting, then they become rather empty words,” Tara said.

Tara assured the commissioners that the promise of MCNZ is to move beyond platitudes to demonstrable action. And to hold the church accountable to survivors. As one survivor commented, “We can't rely on faith being the thing that makes you a good or clever person”.

Conference will consider the voices of the survivors, information from the hearings and the meaning of a bicultural and multicultural response as it develops safeguarding policies.

Tara said, “We hold to a doctrinal and theological belief to do no harm. We have failed in how that belief has been experienced and nurtured in a real and practical way for our young people. Safeguarding policies need to ensure cognizance of our whenua and our tikanga. Being in partnership takes time. So we look forward to really having safeguarding that really has the essence within it of Māori, Pasifika, and that they can see themselves in it and understand that they are part of what we are trying to achieve”.

For many the abuse suffered in care has had a profound impact on their ability to function, work, and to form relationships. It has led to addictions and in tragic circumstances suicide and premature death.

In closing statements on the final day of the hearing, survivors’ representatives reiterated the devastating and ongoing impact of trauma caused by abuse. One said, “Survivors get no second chance at childhood.”

Tara admitted that offers of redress have been too low and urges survivors to ‘come back to us, we have shifted in our position’. In the past six months she has met with 11 survivors, including three former Wesley College students, meeting personally and via Zoom, depending on the survivor’s preference. She said, “We are not here to interrogate the detail of what happened. We are here to listen and we are here to show our personal accountability - tikanga – sincere, honest and real. The reality is that we recognise that there’s nowhere else to go but toward wholeness and healing”.

“We should have a national conversation around abuse that understands that abuse doesn’t happen out of a vacuum. It comes by the language we use, by our understanding of toxic masculinity, what it means to have LGBTQ people feeling safe and secure in communities and in the church. Unless the intersection between colonialism and gender and racism is understood and finds a translation in what we teach in school and how we teach it, and the language we use to teach it, the abuse will continue. This is a collective effort. When the Royal Commission of Inquiry finishes, collectively we will need to carry it on. Church has a significant part to play especially and particularly with regards to Wesley College.

“For an apology to be meaningful, it must acknowledge what the church did in letting people down. It must identify and specify exactly why that was. We thank survivors for coming forward and sharing their story, their experience and shedding light on the truth that the church accepts unequivocally and offers its apology.”

At the start of the day, Tara referred to a challenge issued by survivor spokesperson Dr Longhurst, calling for faith-based organisations to take responsibility and action. “I have spoken with others since then and reflected on the need for the Church to move beyond platitudes to demonstrable action, and so we come here in the spirit of honesty, openness and transparency to share and to learn together. But most importantly to hold ourselves accountable to survivors.”

In closing statements commissioners recognised the sincerity of the Methodist Church in presenting a united approach that recognised the pain and harm caused to survivors and genuine efforts to commit to change.

Commissioner Dr Anaru Erueti closed by thanking everyone involved in the process, and said, “It's been a great talanoa. I think today, we've learned a lot, and I think it's in large part because you've come with so much goodwill.”

Commissioner Alofivae supported his comments. She said “ … with my fellow Commissioners I do honour you for the way you have respected and continuously honoured our survivors both online and who are physically present here today, and the hara and the harm that for us is a big navigational light. My message really is around using your cultural competencies and capabilities, because you have it in spades. And now in the 21st century more so than ever we require our young, amazing leaders to stand up and take your rightful place in driving those conversations to bring about social change”.

The Methodist Church is committed to actively contributing to the healing and justice process for survivors of abuse. We are committed to transparency and will seek to address issues and challenges with compassion and humility.

We will offer an apology to anyone who was abused while in our care and in consultation with those affected, actively seek ways to make amends for what happened and offer support through the redress and resolution process and in the future.

The Methodist Church has created an independent formal process for any person who was abused while in Methodist care to seek redress and resolution for that abuse. For Information Click Here