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Wellness and Safety

Break the Silence

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The following information is to help survivors speak out about non-recent abuse experienced while in the care of a Methodist institution or when a Methodist institution was responsible for the abuser having contact with the survivor.

Further Methodist Children's homes information may be obtained by emailing the Archives team.

If you, or someone you know is currently experiencing abuse, please contact the police immediately on 111.

Otherwise, email the General Secretary or telephone 0800 CONNEX ext 824 (0800 266 639 ext 824), or use the online form.

Messages to the Connexion

Acknowledgment of the Royal Commission of Inquiry’s findings in Whanaketia and its interim reports.

27 September 2024

The Methodist Church of Aotearoa New Zealand is publishing this statement in response to Tūtohi Recommendation 130 in Whanaketia – Whakairihia ki te tihi o Maungārongo - Through pain and trauma, from darkness to light, the Royal Commission of Inquiry’s final report. 

Download pdf here.

Message from General Secretary

19 July 2024

General Secretary message about an upcoming significant event regarding the Abuse in Care Royal Commission of Inquiry. The Commission will be tabling its report to Parliament on Wednesday, 24 July at 4 pm. 

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Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in Care

Whanaketia Report

Through pain and trauma, from darkness to light

Publicly released 24 July 2024

Read more >  

In response to the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Historical Abuse of Children in Care

August 2019

The Methodist Church is committed to providing safe environments where individuals are treated with respect and dignity and where unwelcome and unacceptable sexual behaviour is prohibited.

The Methodist Church supports the Government's Royal Commission of Inquiry into historic abuse in state care and the widening of the terms of reference to include faith based institutions. A copy of the terms of reference can be found here.

The Methodist Church takes all reports of abuse seriously and we are committed to the prevention of abuse and to dealing with abuse, suspected abuse or disclosure of abuse in a timely fashion.

The Methodist Church is committed to doing all it can to provide consistent and compassionate redress and resolution. We seek to make amends for what happened in the past and to identify how we can best offer support in the future.

We respect the rights of survivors of abuse to control how they deal with the harm they experienced. We are committed to do no harm to survivors, and to avoid re-traumatisation of survivors and their families.

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.