Marylands School Public Hearing
A case study investigation into abuse in the care of the Catholic Church and Hospitaller Order of St John of God.
As part of the investigation into abuse in the care of the Catholic Church, the Royal Commission will investigate abuse by the Hospitaller Order of St John of God (St John of God) religious brothers that occurred at Marylands School and two other institutions in Christchurch - St Joseph’s Orphanage and the Hebron Trust.
Marylands School was a residential facility for boys, including many with disabilities, run by the St John of God brothers from the 1950s to 1984.
Past hearing
Marylands School public hearing 9-17 February 2022
The announcement of the Marylands School hearing can be read here.
Marylands School public hearing: survivors, church leaders and State witnesses to give evidence, witness schedule. Read here.
The hearing can be watched by livestreaming here on this page once the hearing begins.
The public hearing is one element of the investigation. Survivors and other witnesses are also able to provide statements in private interview sessions or through written statements. While the public hearing hears a portion of a witness’s account, the inquiry records and considers their entire evidential statement.
What are we investigating?
We will investigate the nature and extent of abuse that occurred at Marylands School, why it happened, and the impacts of that abuse. It will investigate whether there are any systemic, structural or other factors which contributed to the abuse and whether the response by the Catholic Church to allegations of abuse was adequate.
The scope of the Marylands School case study can be read here.
The scope of investigation into the Catholic Church can be read here.
COVID-19 protocols under traffic light settings
The health and safety of our survivors and the public is our utmost priority. To ensure we keep everyone at public hearings safe, all attending in person must have a valid vaccine pass.
At all traffic light settings public hearings will run as scheduled. Members of the public can attend in person at green and orange settings, but not at red.
Under the red setting, masks are required to be worn in indoor public settings, and from 11:59pm Thursday 3 February masks are required to fit new requirements. Make-shift masks such as scarves, bandanas or t-shirts pulled up over the face are not allowed.
For more information about our COVID-19 policy, please go to our Public Hearings page here.
The public hearing can be watched here live on the Royal Commission homepage beginning Wednesday, 9 February.
HEARING SCHEDULE
Wednesday 9 February
10am – 11.30am
Opening karakia and waiata
Welcome from Chair Coral Shaw, Abuse in Care Royal Commission of Inquiry
- Katherine Anderson, Counsel Assisting the Royal Commission
- Dr Michelle Mulvihill and Sam Wimsett
- Crown Secretariat represented by Rachael Schmidt-McCleave
- Bishops and Congregational Leaders of the Catholic Church in Aotearoa represented by Sally McKechnie
- Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (SNAP) Aotearoa-New Zealand represented by Dr Christopher Longhurst, John O’Malley, Lydia Oosterhoff
- Ken Clearwater, advocate
11.45am - 1pm
2.15pm - 3.30pm
Mr Steven Long, survivor witness – via audio visual link
Mr Long was placed at Marylands School by the Department of Social Welfare at age seven. Mr Long experienced sexual, physical and emotional abuse while there. Prior to and following his placement at Marylands School, Mr Long was moved around various care institutions where he also suffered abuse. Mr Long has reported and received redress regarding his experiences at Marylands School and in State care, with the assistance of Cooper Legal.
View evidence
3.45pm - 5pm
Ms DN will give evidence about her brother, who attended Marylands School from age eight to 16. Ms DN will talk about her late parents' observations of Marylands School and her own memories of what it was like growing up with her brother. Ms DN will also give evidence on how Marylands School has impacted her brother’s life.
Thursday 10 February
10am – 11.30am
Adam Powell, survivor witness – via audio visual link
Adam Powell was placed at Marylands School from 1978 to 1981. He was sent there by his adoptive whānau for the education programme it offered to children who struggled with learning. Adam suffered sexual abuse, physical abuse and neglect by the St John of God brothers while at Marylands School. His evidence discusses the impact this abuse has had on his life.
Mr AU, survivor witness – pre-recorded
Mr AU was placed in the care of St Joseph’s Orphanage by his mother when he was 11 years old. Mr AU shares his experience of sexual abuse by priests and how this impacted his life. He will also describe his experience of reporting the abuse to the Police, and his redress process with the Sisters of Nazareth and the St John of God order.
View evidence
11.45am - 1pm
Mr DG was transferred from foster care to Marylands School by the Department of Social Welfare’s psychiatric services when he was nine years old. While at Marylands School he was repeatedly sexually abused by Brothers McGrath and Moloney. Mr DG’s evidence discusses how he reported the abuse to a St John of God brother and to a Department of Social Welfare social worker while at Marylands School. Mr DG says the abuse has shaped his life.
2.15pm - 3.30pm
Darryl Smith, survivor witness
Darryl Smith was placed at Marylands School by his parents when he was seven years old, on the advice of the Department of Education. Darryl’s evidence discusses sexual, physical, spiritual abuse and educational neglect. He also provides insight into the racial abuse suffered by Māori and Pacific children at the school. Darryl has spent much of his adult life in and out of prison, and he has remained a tireless advocate for survivors throughout.
3.45pm - 4.45pm
Mr Eddie Marriott, survivor witness
Mr Marriott is a survivor who started at Marylands School when he was five years old and remained a resident there until he was 15 years old. He shares his experience of being sexually abused by other students and St John of God brothers. He describes the impact of the abuse, including substance abuse, relationship difficulties, and lack of education and life skills. Mr Marriott also outlines his Police complaint and the St John of God Order's redress process.
Friday 11 February
10am – 11.30am
James Tasker, survivor witness
James Tasker was placed at Marylands School after a psychiatric referral. James describes the sexual culture at the school and the sexual abuse he suffered by several St John of God brothers and a pupil. James will also talk about his disclosure of abuse, how the abuse impacted his life and his experience of making a statement to the Police for their criminal investigation.
11.45am - 1pm
Mr Hanz Freller, survivor witness
Mr Freller is a Hebron Trust survivor who was a resident there from 1990 to 1992. Mr Freller will share his experience of being sexually abused by Brother McGrath as a teenager and the response he received when he made his first disclosure. He will also describe the lasting impact it has had on his life, and his redress with the St John of God order.
2.15pm - 3.30pm
Mr Alan Nixon, survivor witness
Mr Nixon lived at Marylands School when he was eight to 14 years old, following time in foster care and various other residential homes. He was sexually abused by Brothers McGrath, Donnellan and Moloney and he witnessed the abuse of other students.
Mr Nixon describes the impact his time in care has had on his life including his criminal offending. He describes how his offending in relation to church buildings resulted in the beginning of his redress process.
View evidence
3.45pm - 4.45pm
Danny Akula, survivor witness
Danny Akula is a Marylands School and State care survivor. He will give evidence about his experiences of abuse in multiple institutions, including physical and sexual abuse at Marylands School. He describes the impact of the abuse on his life and his redress with the St John of God order.
4.45pm - 5pm
Ms AM – pre-recorded audio
Ms AM was a caregiver at Marylands School from the late 1970s through to 1985. She gives evidence about her experience at Marylands School, including the physical abuse that she witnessed. Ms AM also discusses suspicions she had about the brothers interfering with boys, and the disclosures of sexual abuse made to her by a former Marylands School student.
Monday 14 February
9.45am - 10am
Mr AL – pre-recorded audio
Mr AL and his brother attended Marylands School from 1955 to 1959. He was among the first group of boys at Marylands School and had been transferred from St Joseph’s Orphanage. Mr AL speaks about the abuse he experienced and saw at St Joseph’s Orphanage and Marylands School. This includes physical and sexual abuse, as well as not receiving a proper education and being abused because of his Māori heritage.
10am – 12.15pm
Dr Michelle Mulvihill – via audio visual link
Dr Michelle Mulvihill is a former nun and a clinical psychologist. She worked for the St John of God brothers from 1998 to 2007, helping the order respond to sexual abuse claims. She will give evidence about the order’s approach to survivor redress. She will also give evidence about systemic and cultural factors that contributed to the significant extent of sexual abuse in the order.
12.20pm - 2.30pm
Ken Clearwater is a survivor advocate who works with survivors of sexual abuse. He led the Male Sexual Assault Survivors Trust for many years and has supported many Marylands School survivors. Ken will give evidence, while protecting survivors’ identities, about the experience of some of the Marylands School survivors he worked with. He will also share his own observations.
2.35pm - 4.45pm
Cooper Legal has acted for at least 30 survivors from Marylands School, St Joseph’s Orphanage and Hebron Trust. Sonja Cooper and Sam Benton will give evidence about the abuse their clients experienced and their clients’ experiences seeking redress with the Police, the Ministry of Social Development and the St John of God order.
4.45pm - 5pm
Tuesday 15 February
9.45am - 10am
Mr AQ – pre-recorded audio
Mr AQ was in State care from a young age and had numerous placements, including attending Marylands School from 1963 to 1966. He gives evidence of the sexual abuse he suffered by Brother Thaddeus and the impact this abuse has had on his life and relationships. Mr AQ will also describe the barriers he faced to disclosing the abuse, and his experience with the St John of God order’s redress process.
10am – 4.45pm
Brother Timothy Graham – via audio visual link
Brother Timothy Graham has been the Provincial of the Oceania Province of the St John of God Brothers since 2007. He is responsible for responding to reports of abuse and the order’s redress processes. He will give evidence about the order, its involvement in running Marylands School and the order’s response to abuse.
4.45pm - 5pm
Trevor McDonald, survivor witness – pre-recorded video
Trevor McDonald was placed at St Joseph’s Orphanage at an early age and was later moved to Marylands School. Trevor gives evidence about educational neglect and being physically and sexually abused by Brothers Sebastian and Thaddeus. He participated in the St John of God order’s redress process. Trevor describes being significantly impacted by the abuse to this day.
Wednesday 16 February
9.45am - 10am
Mr DA, survivors witness – pre-recorded audio
Mr DA gives evidence of being placed at St Joseph's Orphanage at a young age and then moved to Marylands School in 1955 at the age of 11. He describes being groomed and sexually abused at Marylands by Brother Thaddeus. Mr DA shares his experiences at other State care institutions including several psychiatric hospitals. He gives evidence about how these experiences have had an extreme impact on his life.
10am – 11.30am
Archbishop Paul Martin
Archbishop Paul Martin gives evidence on behalf of the bishops and congregational leaders of the Catholic Church in Aotearoa New Zealand. Between March 2018 and January 2021, he was the Bishop of Christchurch. He is currently the Apostolic Administrator of the Diocese of Christchurch, effectively holding the same rights and responsibilities as a bishop for that diocese until the appointment of a new bishop.
11.45am - 2.30pm
Detective Superintendent Peter Read
Detective Superintendent Peter Read gives evidence on behalf of the Police. He is the current Detective Superintendent for Wellington and the South Island. His evidence discusses the Operation Authority investigation into Marylands School, which began in 2002. At the time he was a Detective Inspector in Christchurch and oversaw child sexual violence investigations. He appointed the investigation team and oversaw the investigation.
View evidence
2.30pm - 4.45pm
Peter Galvin
Peter Galvin is the General Manager of Partnering for Outcomes at Oranga Tamariki – Ministry for Children. His role is focused on the relationships Oranga Tamariki has with social service providers, including certain providers of residential care services. Peter Galvin’s evidence discusses the nature of the State regulatory framework for children and young people who were in private institutions, such as Marylands School. It also discusses disclosures of abuse made to social workers by boys at Marylands School, and the current approach to State oversight of third-party providers of residential care.
Linda Hrstich-Meyer
Linda is the General Manager (previous Director) of Historic Claims at the Ministry of Social Development. Her evidence will be about the assessment and resolution of claims about abuse and neglect of children and young people while in the care of the Ministry and its predecessor.
4.45pm - 5pm
Mr DL, survivor witness – pre-recorded audio
Mr DL attended Marylands School from age 11. Mr DL will speak of the physical and sexual abuse he was subjected to by Brothers McGrath and Moloney at Marylands School. Mr DL will give evidence about his redress experience and how the abuse has had a long-lasting impact on him.
Thursday 17 February
10am – 10.05am
Mr CB, survivor witness – pre-recorded audio
Mr CB attended Marylands School in the 1960s, from the age 12 to 17. His family sent him to Marylands for a better education. Mr CB describes the lack of education and how he was instead put to work in the Marylands School kitchen. His evidence discusses the ongoing effects of the abuse and neglect on his life, including his inability to read.
View evidence
10.05am - 10.15am
Mr CZ, survivor witness – pre-recorded audio
Mr CZ was referred to Marylands School by a family doctor and was resident at the school from 1973 to 1974. Mr CZ gives evidence about educational neglect, and that he was physically and sexually abused by several brothers, including Brother McGrath. Mr CZ received redress through the St John of God order’s redress process but did not have a positive experience. Mr CZ also reflects on the barriers for disclosure of abuse.
10.15am – 10.20am
Mr Wayne Gowland, survivor witness – pre-recorded audio
Mr Gowland identifies as Māori but describes how being moved around led to a disconnection from his Māori culture and heritage. Mr Gowland shares his experience of being placed in various State care institutions followed by his placement at Marylands School in the late 1970s, where he was physically and sexually abused. Mr Gowland also describes his experience with the St John of God order’s redress process.
10.20am – 11am
Documentary clip
11.45am – 1pm
Closing statements
- Crown Secretariat represented by Rachael Schmidt-McCleave View evidence
- Bishops and Congregational Leaders of the Catholic Church in Aotearoa represented by Sally McKechnie View evidence
- Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (SNAP) Aotearoa-New Zealand View evidence
- Dr Murray Heasley and Liz Tonks View evidence
- Dr Michelle Mulvihill View evidence
Closing by Chair Coral Shaw