Statement on the New Zealand Royal Commission of Inquiry’s case study report

2 August 2023

The Brothers of St John of God acknowledge the publication of the NZ Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in Care’s Order of St John of God case study report.

As part of the Inquiry’s case study, the Brothers’ Oceania Provincial Br Timothy Graham appeared by video link to give evidence in the hearing into the abuse experienced at Marylands school and the Hebron Trust. Br Timothy re-iterates what he shared at the Hearing:

“On behalf of all the Brothers, I acknowledge the courage of victims of abuse and all those whom they represent who have been harmed in any way by the Brothers of Saint John of God.

I and the Brothers have heard your pain and your anger.

The services the Brothers ran at Marylands and Hebron should have been places of nurture and safety for vulnerable young people. The fact that they were places of sexual, physical, and psychological abuse is horrific and indefensible.

I offer an unreserved apology to all those harmed by a Brother of St John of God. I extend this apology to all your families, to the people who served at Marylands and Hebron, and the community of Christchurch and Aotearoa New Zealand. I also apologise for the times when our response to those who have been abused was not what it should have been.”

The Order no longer run services like those investigated in the case study report and have no works in New Zealand. However, the Brothers state that they are committed to participating in redress processes for victims of abuse.

The Brothers also commit to participating in the process to develop an independent redress system as recommended by the Inquiry in its earlier Report. The Order recognises that some survivors find any process that involves the people who were responsible for the people that caused you harm extremely difficult. However, we also assure all survivors that anyone who shares a suspicion, concern, knowledge or report of abuse to the Brothers of St John of God or through an advocate will be responded to sensitively, respectfully, actively and in a timely manner.

The Order continues to participate in the Inquiry acknowledging the extent and horrific nature of material presented to it about our people, our institutions, and our processes. The Brothers await the Inquiry’s Final Report and recommendations from the Commissioners and commit once again to working with those survivors who engage with us to ensure redress is available for the harm you suffered.

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Media Contacts:
New Zealand enquiries: Mr David McLoughlin – dmcloughlin@nzcbc.org.nz or +64 21 611 052
Australian enquires: Mr Simon Feely – sfpr@feely.com.au or +61 408 495 994