Noncourt settlement call School prank had potential to avoid retraumatising for tragedy

AUCKLAND: Alternative ways of investigating and settling historical claims of abuse of children in care have been aired at the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in Care hearing.

It is the second week of the commission’s hearings into redress for people who were in state care between 1950 and 1999.

The commission, sitting in Auckland, has heard from many victims over the past year, both privately and at public hearings, who say they are being retraumatised when cases get to court.

They want a fairer and more just system.

Counsel assisting the commission Simon Mount asked Solicitorgeneral Una Jagose whether that could mean something more like how treaty claims were dealt with by an independent body, the Waitangi Tribunal.

‘‘There’s great parallels there where the law didn’t deliver the answer, didn’t or wouldn’t deliver the answer, thinking about the establishment of a permanent court of inquiry in the Waitangi Tribunal.’’

She said over the years the tribunal had made plenty of progress on historic claims.

‘‘And [it] is now looking at contemporary issues with that same model. The decision to set up such an alternative has led to a very different approach and response.’’

But nothing like that exists for abuse claims.

‘‘There is no alternative, governments haven’t established, they have established this inquiry clearly, but nothing like the Waitangi Tribunal, nothing like other forms of dispute resolution that we can see in our system,’’ Ms Jagose said.

Mr Mount put it to Ms Jagose that one critical feature of the tribunal’s success was its independence.

‘‘Yes, one of its features is its independence, yes. I was thinking of other features that made it successful, a different mode of operating, much more inclined towards restoration of mana, I mean a whole lot of different things that go into the mix of the tribunal’s successes.’’

The commission heard about other successful ways to settle claims that do not involve going to court, such as dispute resolution tribunals.

Ms Jagose was asked why this had not happened for abuse claims.

‘‘There will be reasons to do with it not having priority in government that survivors would say it should have had. That those voices [were] not being heard sufficiently by those who get to make the choice to do something different.’’

Ms Jagose said the Law Commission was probably best suited to investigate alternatives to court action to resolve abuse claims.

The Royal Commission is expected to end its abuse in state care redress hearings today.

Its next public hearings start later this month when the focus will be on redress for faithbased abuse claimants. — RNZ

CHRISTCHURCH: An endofschoolyear prank at a top Christchurch secondary school could have had ‘‘tragic consequences’’, the headmaster says.

A group of year 13 pupils at Christchurch Boys’ High School (CBHS) chased and hurled water balloons and eggs at two year 11 pupils just before 1pm on Wednesday.

The stunt resulted in one of the boys being chased on to a road outside the school, where a vehicle ran over his foot.

Another pupil was assaulted, CBHS headmaster Nic Hill said.

He said it was lucky nobody was seriously injured.

‘‘We are fortunate not to be facing tragic consequences,’’ Mr Hill said in an email to parents and caregivers yesterday.

He was ‘‘appalled’’ by the ‘‘disrespectful’’ behaviour.

All pupils were called into an assembly yesterday morning.

Afterwards, a group gathered at Mr Hill’s office to apologise for their roles in the incidents.

Mr Hill said he was not ruling out ‘‘serious consequences’’.

‘‘The students have had fair warning,’’ he said.

‘‘Despite continual messages requesting an end to this type of behaviour, a core group of students have blatantly ignored this and let us down,’’ the headmaster said. — The New Zealand Herald