NZ Herald
  • Home
  • Latest news
  • Herald NOW
  • Video
  • New Zealand
  • Sport
  • World
  • Business
  • Entertainment
  • Podcasts
  • Quizzes
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Travel
  • Viva
  • Weather

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • New Zealand
    • All New Zealand
    • Crime
    • Politics
    • Education
    • Open Justice
    • Scam Update
  • Herald NOW
  • On The Up
  • World
    • All World
    • Australia
    • Asia
    • UK
    • United States
    • Middle East
    • Europe
    • Pacific
  • Business
    • All Business
    • MarketsSharesCurrencyCommoditiesStock TakesCrypto
    • Markets with Madison
    • Media Insider
    • Business analysis
    • Personal financeKiwiSaverInterest ratesTaxInvestment
    • EconomyInflationGDPOfficial cash rateEmployment
    • Small business
    • Business reportsMood of the BoardroomProject AucklandSustainable business and financeCapital markets reportAgribusiness reportInfrastructure reportDynamic business
    • Deloitte Top 200 Awards
    • Deloitte Fast 50
    • CompaniesAged CareAgribusinessAirlinesBanking and financeConstructionEnergyFreight and logisticsHealthcareManufacturingMedia and MarketingRetailTelecommunicationsTourism
  • Opinion
    • All Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Editorials
    • Business analysis
    • Premium opinion
    • Letters to the editor
  • Politics
  • Sport
    • All Sport
    • OlympicsParalympics
    • RugbySuper RugbyNPCAll BlacksBlack FernsRugby sevensSchool rugby
    • CricketBlack CapsWhite Ferns
    • Racing
    • NetballSilver Ferns
    • LeagueWarriorsNRL
    • FootballWellington PhoenixAuckland FCAll WhitesFootball FernsEnglish Premier League
    • GolfNZ Open
    • MotorsportFormula 1
    • Boxing
    • UFC
    • BasketballNBABreakersTall BlacksTall Ferns
    • Tennis
    • Cycling
    • Athletics
    • SailingAmerica's CupSailGP
    • Rowing
  • Lifestyle
    • All Lifestyle
    • Viva - Food, fashion & beauty
    • Society Insider
    • Royals
    • Sex & relationships
    • Food & drinkRecipesRecipe collectionsRestaurant reviewsRestaurant bookings
    • Health & wellbeing
    • Fashion & beauty
    • Pets & animals
    • The Selection - Shop the trendsShop fashionShop beautyShop entertainmentShop giftsShop home & living
    • Milford's Investing Place
  • Entertainment
    • All Entertainment
    • TV
    • MoviesMovie reviews
    • MusicMusic reviews
    • BooksBook reviews
    • Culture
    • ReviewsBook reviewsMovie reviewsMusic reviewsRestaurant reviews
  • Travel
    • All Travel
    • News
    • New ZealandNorthlandAucklandWellingtonCanterburyOtago / QueenstownNelson-TasmanBest NZ beaches
    • International travelAustraliaPacific IslandsEuropeUKUSAAfricaAsia
    • Rail holidays
    • Cruise holidays
    • Ski holidays
    • Luxury travel
    • Adventure travel
  • Kāhu Māori news
  • Environment
    • All Environment
    • Our Green Future
  • Talanoa Pacific news
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Property Insider
    • Interest rates tracker
    • Residential property listings
    • Commercial property listings
  • Health
  • Technology
    • All Technology
    • AI
    • Social media
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology
    • Opinion
    • Audio & podcasts
  • Weather forecasts
    • All Weather forecasts
    • Kaitaia
    • Whangārei
    • Dargaville
    • Auckland
    • Thames
    • Tauranga
    • Hamilton
    • Whakatāne
    • Rotorua
    • Tokoroa
    • Te Kuiti
    • Taumaranui
    • Taupō
    • Gisborne
    • New Plymouth
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Dannevirke
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Levin
    • Paraparaumu
    • Masterton
    • Wellington
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Blenheim
    • Westport
    • Reefton
    • Kaikōura
    • Greymouth
    • Hokitika
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
    • Wānaka
    • Oamaru
    • Queenstown
    • Dunedin
    • Gore
    • Invercargill
  • Meet the journalists
  • Promotions & competitions
  • OneRoof property listings
  • Driven car news

Puzzles & Quizzes

  • Puzzles
    • All Puzzles
    • Sudoku
    • Code Cracker
    • Crosswords
    • Cryptic crossword
    • Wordsearch
  • Quizzes
    • All Quizzes
    • Morning quiz
    • Afternoon quiz
    • Sports quiz

Regions

  • Northland
    • All Northland
    • Far North
    • Kaitaia
    • Kerikeri
    • Kaikohe
    • Bay of Islands
    • Whangarei
    • Dargaville
    • Kaipara
    • Mangawhai
  • Auckland
  • Waikato
    • All Waikato
    • Hamilton
    • Coromandel & Hauraki
    • Matamata & Piako
    • Cambridge
    • Te Awamutu
    • Tokoroa & South Waikato
    • Taupō & Tūrangi
  • Bay of Plenty
    • All Bay of Plenty
    • Katikati
    • Tauranga
    • Mount Maunganui
    • Pāpāmoa
    • Te Puke
    • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua
  • Hawke's Bay
    • All Hawke's Bay
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Havelock North
    • Central Hawke's Bay
    • Wairoa
  • Taranaki
    • All Taranaki
    • Stratford
    • New Plymouth
    • Hāwera
  • Manawatū - Whanganui
    • All Manawatū - Whanganui
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Manawatū
    • Tararua
    • Horowhenua
  • Wellington
    • All Wellington
    • Kapiti
    • Wairarapa
    • Upper Hutt
    • Lower Hutt
  • Nelson & Tasman
    • All Nelson & Tasman
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Tasman
  • Marlborough
  • West Coast
  • Canterbury
    • All Canterbury
    • Kaikōura
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
  • Otago
    • All Otago
    • Oamaru
    • Dunedin
    • Balclutha
    • Alexandra
    • Queenstown
    • Wanaka
  • Southland
    • All Southland
    • Invercargill
    • Gore
    • Stewart Island
  • Gisborne

Media

  • Video
    • All Video
    • NZ news video
    • Herald NOW
    • Business news video
    • Politics news video
    • Sport video
    • World news video
    • Lifestyle video
    • Entertainment video
    • Travel video
    • Markets with Madison
    • Kea Kids news
  • Podcasts
    • All Podcasts
    • The Front Page
    • On the Tiles
    • Ask me Anything
    • The Little Things
  • Cartoons
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / New Zealand

Abuse in Care Inquiry told of Dunedin paedophile ring

Daisy Hudson
By Daisy Hudson
Senior Reporter·Otago Daily Times·
19 Oct, 2022 11:24 PM4 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save
    Share this article
Glendining Presbyterian Children’s Homes, pictured in 1950. Photo / Evening Star

Glendining Presbyterian Children’s Homes, pictured in 1950. Photo / Evening Star

Allegations of a Dunedin paedophile ring and deliberately destroyed records have surfaced during a royal commission hearing in Auckland.

Details about historical abuse suffered by children in the care of Presbyterian Support Otago (PSO), and their subsequent struggles to get redress, were outlined when PSO chief executive Jo O’Neill gave evidence at a Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in Care hearing yesterday.

The commission also heard how records about children previously housed in PSO care were deliberately destroyed in 2017 and 2018.

The organisation ran two care facilities, Glendining Presbyterian Children’s Homes in Dunedin’s Andersons Bay, and Marama Home in Lawrence.

It has received six complaints about abuse, all at Glendining. Three related to 1950 to 1960, and three between the late 1980s and 1991, when the facility closed.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

The complaints were made between 2004 and 2019.

O’Neill, who joined the organisation in September 2019, apologised to all of those who had been harmed in PSO’s care.

A summary of evidence provided by Cooper Legal detailed the physical and sexual abuse of one survivor, given the pseudonym PN, while at Glendining from age 5 to about 13 or 14.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

That allegedly included being passed around a ring of paedophiles comprised of Presbyterian Church parish members, being beaten with objects and once being tied to a flagpole while naked as punishment for grieving her father’s death.

O’Neill also recalled reading mentions of a paedophile ring situation relating to a case raised in 2020.

Commissioner Paul Gibson asked if, in the intervening two years, PSO and the Presbyterian Church had jointly investigated what had happened to children in their care.

They had not, O’Neill said.

The key reason for that was because they were two separate entities, but she believed everybody needed to be at the table.

The evidence of another survivor, given the pseudonym PJ, was also discussed.

Through Cooper Legal, PJ contacted PSO asking for compensation and an apology for the physical and sexual abuse he allegedly suffered at the hands of a female Glendining staff member at the age of 12.

The response from PSO’s lawyers was a refusal, and an emphasis on how difficult the claim would be to prove in court. It did offer to meet with him.

There was a later positive meeting in 2021, and an offer of settlement.

Much of yesterday’s questioning focused on the destruction of records.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

The commission heard a “senior decision-maker” undertook a review in 2017 of records held about children who lived in its residential homes.

That person made a decision for the records to be destroyed, apart from a register of names and dates.

O’Neill investigated that decision, and her notes were presented to the commission.

In them, she outlined how the senior decision-maker said an adviser had indicated having the records was too much of a risk to PSO.

In 2017 PSO received a letter from Cooper Legal regarding an abuse claim, and there had been a suggestion the decision was made in response to that.

Her notes also reflected comments by a staff member who said there had been some “sanitising” of notes to remove things like washing a child’s mouth out with soap and water and locking them in rooms.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

O’Neill believed there was an “individual who was misguided in their decision-making process”, and she would not have made the same call.

“I do believe it is an extremely sad situation when an individual is unable to access information about their life’s journey because it is their life. And as an organisation responsible for a part of the caring for them, I would personally find it extremely important that they could access information.”

Commissioner Andrew Erueti questioned whether the decision to destroy the records could also have been influenced by discussions at the time about the formation of the royal commission of inquiry.

O’Neill replied that she would only be speculating, but believed PSO would have been aware there were plans for a commission.

She accepted that going to church would have exposed the children to potential abusers, and also that it was likely many more survivors may not have come forward.

There had been lessons learned by PSO, including training, support and supervision for staff, and structures and protections put in place, she said.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Save
    Share this article

Latest from New Zealand

New Zealand

Former council CEO among seven challenging Western Bay Mayor for top job

New Zealand

Two councillors and two newcomers challenge Tapsell for Rotorua mayor

New Zealand

Power cut as crash takes out pole in Mamaku


Sponsored

Kiss cams and passion cohorts: how brands get famous in culture

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from New Zealand

Former council CEO among seven challenging Western Bay Mayor for top job
New Zealand

Former council CEO among seven challenging Western Bay Mayor for top job

There are 55 people standing in the Western Bay of Plenty District Council elections.

04 Aug 06:34 AM
Two councillors and two newcomers challenge Tapsell for Rotorua mayor
New Zealand

Two councillors and two newcomers challenge Tapsell for Rotorua mayor

04 Aug 05:47 AM
Power cut as crash takes out pole in Mamaku
New Zealand

Power cut as crash takes out pole in Mamaku

04 Aug 05:30 AM


Kiss cams and passion cohorts: how brands get famous in culture
Sponsored

Kiss cams and passion cohorts: how brands get famous in culture

01 Aug 12:26 AM
NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • NZ Herald e-editions
  • Daily puzzles & quizzes
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Subscribe to the NZ Herald newspaper
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • NZME Events
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP