Mike Ledingham says he cannot accept the King's Service Medal awarded to him this New Year. Photo / Supplied
Mike Ledingham says he cannot accept the King's Service Medal awarded to him this New Year. Photo / Supplied
Mike Ledingham has announced he will reject the King’s Service Medal he was awarded in the New Year’s Honours list.
He announced his decision on social media on Tuesday night, explaining the decision came after much “soul-searching”.
Ledingham and his brothers were abused by a priest and he has been an advocate for survivors for decades.
An abuse survivor who has spent 20 years campaigning for the redress and improvement of child safety in faith-based care settings has rejected the King’s Service Medal he was awarded in the 2025 New Year Honours list.
The Te Puke man had been recognised for his services to survivors of abuse in care.
“Mr Mike Ledingham wrote The Catholic Boys (2019), which outlined the effects of the abuse experienced by him and his two brothers, and how it impacted the opportunities and life choices for the three of them as survivors,” his citation stated.
“Mr Ledingham has been active in campaigning for the redress and improvement of child safety in faith-based care settings, in particular Roman Catholic Church care institutions, for more than 20 years.
“He experienced abuse in faith-based care during the 1950s and 1960s and provided his experience as evidence to the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Historical Abuse in State Care and in the Care of Faith-based Institutions.
“The lack of response from the Catholic Church on notification of the abuse experienced by the three brothers has driven Mr Ledingham to advocate for the investigation of silencing and covering up of reported child abuse in churches.”
Ledingham has campaigned and advocated for abuse survivors for more than 20 years.
But Ledingham last night thanked those who congratulated him and said he could not accept the award.
“Sadly after much soul searching ... I have decided can not accept this award from a government who has further betrayed faith-based victims by forcing them to return to their abusing organisation who will decide what shape or form ‘justice’ will take,” he posted on social media.
“Where else in the world does the perpetrator designate what justice will be, and do not the victims who do front up run the risk of further mental anguish?
“[It] saddens me greatly that this government has pulled such a cheap shot.”
The King’s Service Medal - originally created as the Queen’s Service Medal in 1975 and renamed in 2024 - is awarded by the Government to recognise and reward volunteer service to the community.
Some suggested Ledingham should rethink his decision.
“We are all amazed with your steadfast conviction to your cause and could think of no better person who deserves this honor. NOTHING to do with the government of the day,” said one supporter.
“I hear ya... but only being a mere victim I don’t get much opportunity to have a platform publicly to push our case. This is an ideal one,” Ledingham replied.
He later posted saying faith-based victims were facing a “cop out” by the Government over the “redress debacle”.
“They are the victims nobody wanted to know. The virtual lepers of the abused world,” Ledingham said.
“The Royal Commission turned its back on them and now after all the fine words of ‘sorry’ by Luxon, Willis and co, the Government has demonstrated just how much it doesn’t care by leaving faith-based redress in the hands of the abusers - the very churches, that if they did not rape them physically, raped their souls, many as children.
“Many victims will not front up to their abusing organisation, the Government and churches know this.
Ledingham and his brothers were abused by a Catholic priest. Photo / Brett Phibbs
“Some who do will no doubt become re-traumatised, the Government and the churches no doubt know this also. But still, they turn a blind eye to justice.
“The bells of the lepers still toll loudly into the New Year. Will they ever see true justice in their lifetimes from these shallow politicians and dirty religious organisations?”
In 2019 Ledingham gave a statement to the Royal Commission of Inquiry into historical abuse in state care.
“My name is Mike Ledingham, one of three brothers, among probably dozens of others, as we are now realising, who were abused by the late Father Francis Green during his time at St Joseph’s Catholic School in Onehunga circa 1957 to 1969,“ he said.
“I found it extremely difficult to formulate this address. It is hard to remain detached when you have experienced what we did. But for all the victims’ sakes, here I am today, hopefully speaking for a vast silent majority also.
“It has taken me 40 years to begin to talk fully about what happened. These were nightmarish times and I have few fond memories from being at St Joseph’s Catholic School.
“I make no apology for my language when describing what happened. It may offend some of you, especially religious people, but then nobody apologised to us when we disclosed that Catholic clergy performed deviant practices on us bewildered, frightened children either.
“The horrific abuse that happened can’t be told and understood using polite words or watered-down rhetoric.
“I make the point also, I have not always been a good person, I was screwed up mentally for quite a few years and didn’t always do good or the right things.
“We, my brothers and I, make up the numbers of countless other victims of abuse in the Catholic church who are out there, and I somewhat feel we also have a duty to these silent, suffering people to try and bring a sick and self-centred institution out of the dark ages to face the realisation of what they have done.
“Sexually abusing anyone is a crime. Sexually abusing children is abominable.
