The following was read to the Abuse in Care Royal Commission on Thursday 20 October 2022, when the petition was accepted by Judge Coral Shaw:

“Once upon a time, we assumed institutions, such as schools and churches, obeyed our society’s laws and were therefore beyond reproach. That it was impossible for the figures of authority that ran them, to do wrong and conspire to do wrong.

But we have since discovered that Dilworth School chose to participate in an enormous wrong. Against Children. They chose to cover up the vilest of sexual abuse. Over thirty paedophiles abused hundreds of boys over a forty-year period. It seemed the reputation of their organisation was more important than the welfare of the boys in their care, in contradiction to the moral values that the School was supposed to reflect and live by.

As survivors, our mission, as part of our healing journey, is to prevent the children of tomorrow being harmed by institutions that allow travesties such as this to occur.

We experienced, as well as the loss of our innocence, the unravelling of many of the lives of either ourselves or our classmates and friends. We experienced the devastating news of the suicide of many of our brothers.

Trauma and the loss of innocence endured by children, contributes to many of the issues facing our society, especially as they enter adulthood. Their neurodevelopment is adversely impacted and causes many of them to remain in a sympathetic ‘flight or fight’ response, where survival is as good as it gets, let alone thoughts of a career, or being capable of functional relationships. Many end up with drug and alcohol addictions. The effects of PTSD are becoming more researched and more understood.

We need to do a lot better.

Today, Greg Evans and I, on behalf of 170 Dilworth survivors, family and friends, present a petition calling for a “Dilworth Law”, that would require the mandatory reporting of child abuse to police. Specifically, the petition is asking The Abuse in Care Royal Commission of Inquiry to recommend to the New Zealand Government the implementation of the “Dilworth Law”. This law would require a person or entity to report to Police if a child or young person is at risk of significant harm, the child or young person has been, or is at risk of being, physically or sexually abused or ill-treated. This law already exists in NSW under the Children and Young Persons (Care and Protection) Act 1998 No 157 Part 2.   

We were astounded to learn that in New Zealand there is currently no such law. If this Law had existed and been followed, when we were at Dilworth, most of us would never have been sexually abused.

We appreciate the Royal Commission’s understanding of survivor voice, and it would greatly help us to know that institutions like Dilworth School can NEVER be allowed to cover-up abuse again.”

Neil Harding

Dilworth School survivor