Dilworth sexual abuse: Sexual offending through the decades - what Dilworth really knew about the abuse

“A hellhole of violence and bullying.”

“A terrifying and intimidating place.”

“Like jail but with more rape.”

These are just some of the ways former students have described Dilworth, the private Auckland boarding school where more than 100 boys were abused by staff, tutors, housemasters and other students for nearly 70 years.

Many of the boys were just eight or nine when the abuse began and some were abused by multiple people while their complaints were mostly ignored or they were punished for making up lies.

Today a damning report released following an independent inquiry found successive boards failed over many years to prevent serious physical and sexual abuse of its students.

The board not only knew about abuse dating back as far as the 1950s but didn’t investigate complaints properly, didn’t report most of it to the police and allowed known abusers to quietly leave the school with their careers intact - sometimes with a glowing reference.

It describes a “brutal, isolated, authoritarian, loveless place where students lived in continual fear of older students, tutors, housemasters, teachers and the whole school system”.

The report recounted countless heartbreaking examples of bullying, physical assaults and sexual abuse from the 1950s until 2018 - just two years before police launched Operation Beverly which resulted in numerous arrests.

The impact of the offending was described as compounding - both then and later in their lives.

One former student recalls being so desperate to escape abuse at the time that he decided to flee the country, intent on killing himself.

“To fund the trip, he took the extreme action of robbing a bank.”

Most students ended up achieving below their potential. Many went on to develop addictions to drugs, alcohol and pornography. Some went on to commit crime, while others suffered from severe mental ill health.

“Most of the men the inquiry met with who were abused are in various stages of rebuilding from shattered and broken periods in their adult lives,” said the inquiry’s co-leaders, Dame Silvia Cartwright, ONZ, and Frances Joychild, KC.

“Regrettably the report we’re releasing today is a catalogue of damage and injustice and we want to acknowledge those who suffered abuse at Dilworth,” said Cartwright.

“We have reached one fundamental conclusion from the many interviews conducted and documentation read: ongoing silence about the sexual abuse recorded in this report is the primary reason for the damage caused to many former students of Dilworth.”

The report breaks down what happened in chapters based on who was leading the school at certain times.

Here is the truth about what really happened under the leadership of each headmaster and board. You can scroll down to different subheads to learn more about the following periods: 1950-1966, 1967-1979, 1979-1997 and 1997-2018.

1950-1966: Headmasters Basil Wakelin (1950), John Conolly (1951–1966) and board chairman Rowland Towle (1948–1966)

The years under headmasters Basil Wakelin and John Conolly saw four students report sexual abuse at the hands of older students, a teacher and the husband of a school visitor. Nine reported serious physical abuse and three experienced both forms of abuse.

The report found the incidents during this period were likely to be indicative of a wider school problem of sexual abuse.

The students reported a school environment characterised by fear and intimidation, severe bullying, persistent caning and a militaristic culture.

“It is evident the students at Dilworth were well used to rigid disciplinary control under Mr Wakelin and this continued unabated under Mr Conolly.”

In addition, Conolly - who served during World War II rising to the rank of lieutenant colonel and was responsible for strategic planning in battle - introduced a military flavour to the school’s management.

“It was a terrifying and intimidating place.”

Fourteen men who began school in Mr Conolly’s era provided information to the inquiry as former students. Three others, who held other roles subsequently and were students in this era, also spoke about their student experiences.

The students’ accounts had common themes. Students described being marched everywhere, whistleblowing and standing to attention as constant, and from the age of 10 students were given a seniority ranking with a number. One student described his number as being attached to his school life “like a tattoo”.

Punishments for new entrants (aged 8-9) included missing meals, not being able to go home at the weekend and being hit with a strap or ruler. Corporal punishment was inflicted for minor issues such as losing a sock, talking during the first half of mealtimes or talking after lights out.

One boy was caned on his first day when he cried because he was homesick, another was strapped when he was sick on his bed.

The inquiry found the school environment was inappropriate and unacceptable, even in the 1950s, particularly in relation to the imposition of the harsh military culture on the younger boys.

One student described his entire school years as a “hellhole” of violence and bullying. Another described their last day at school when the headmaster came up to him and his mother and told her: “Mrs [name omitted] you’ve just produced the school’s greatest failure … he will not succeed in anything in life”. The former student said he has remembered the comment with “shame, anger and resentment ever since”.

Conolly was described by one student as “a vicious, sadistic, brutish bully who had no empathy”.

He was “diabolical, unapproachable and uncaring” with one former student recalling how he had little sympathy for him when he was in isolation with chicken pox and found out his father had just died.

“Mr Conolly turned around and left immediately, offering no support or sympathy.”

The report described how Conolly caned students for no apparent reason.

“Sometimes until their backsides bled and carefully administered each blow directly underneath the previous blow so there was a square of the buttocks without skin. As injuries were not accidental, the matron would not treat them.”

Students also spoke of “sadistic relentless bullying” during this time.

One was badly beaten by older students on many occasions. He had a mouse put in his food, his glasses smashed and his uniform rumpled, leading to him being caned. He nearly drowned after being thrown into a waterhole where one of the students kept a foot on his head. Another was knocked out after being hit on the back of his head and nearly suffocated at night in the dorm.

One of the sexual abuse survivors described still suffering from being raped by the husband of his housemistress’s friend.

“Seventy years later, the student says he still vividly remembers the excruciating pain and fear.”

The report outlines how hard students found it to get anyone to listen to their concerns - a theme that was consistent for many decades.

When he tried to tell the housemistress what was happening after being raped she became angry, called him a liar, troublemaker and told him to stop “playing with himself”. He was later caned by Conolly for making things up.

He was also abused by a well-respected senior teacher. His punishment this time was being sent to Coventry for an entire term. His parents didn’t believe him, instead telling him he had a “wonderful opportunity” at Dilworth and it was a “gift from God” that he was there.

The inquiry found there was a widespread misbelief during this time that children were prone to lie but the school’s response to complaints of sexual abuse was “unacceptable”.

It found to his credit that Conolly took action on some complaints, such as excluding a senior student who was abusing younger boys but he “inexplicably reintroduced him to the school as a tutor”.

1967–1979: Headmaster Peter Parr. Board chairmen Sir David Beattie (1967–1969), Donald (Bill) Cotter (1969–1979)

Fifty men reported being sexually abused during this era. The inquiry became aware of a further 19 sexual abuse survivors from the same time.

Eight of these cases related to sexual abuse by a student, some were also abused by staff. Thirty-seven reported both sexual abuse and serious physical abuse. Fifty-three reported serious physical abuse.

“Throughout the Parr era, staff preyed sexually on schoolboys in the dormitories, around the boarding areas, on school camping and scouting trips, and on weekends away,” said the report.

“The number of prosecutions of offenders from this era are sufficiently significant to satisfy us that sexual abuse was extensive.”

Nearly all the students spoken to during the inquiry reported a school environment characterised by fear, bullying and intimidation and where rumours of staff sexually abusing students were “pervasive and ongoing”.

“Nearly all said they were negatively affected by the school environment, some severely.”

The inquiry team interviewed 32 former staff from this era: tutors, housemasters, matrons, teachers, Dilworth personnel and family members who lived on site.

Parr, who died in 2020, was described as being softer in his approach to students and staff and a “less effective disciplinarian” who was more resistant to expelling students.

He was also described by some students as cold, uncaring, unapproachable and someone they feared. Others said that while he was strict their contact with him was positive.

Students described the school during this period to be “a brutal, isolated, authoritarian, loveless place where students lived in continual fear of older students, tutors, housemasters, teachers and the whole school system”.

“Fear often escalated to the level of terror. Boys were subject to random, violent, unprovoked attacks, bullied mercilessly and starved of affection. Rumours circulated continually that adult staff were sexually abusing students.”

The no-narking culture continued with one student having a knife put to his throat by an older student on his first day.

The inquiry found at least 10 staff members abused students in boarding houses during Parr’s time as headmaster. Some staff acted together, sending a boy from one to the other after they were done with them.

“This report is a significant abuse of students by housemasters and tutors occurred outside the school grounds. This abuse would take place in the tutor’s home, the home of the tutor’s family member, or when tutors took students away for weekend events such as tramping and camping.”

The impact on students from severe bullying and sexual abuse varied from a drop in their academic performance to students as young as 11 drinking heavily and smoking. Some ran away. Some suffered severe mental harm.

Some boys misbehaved in class hoping to be expelled so they could escape their abusers.

The inquiry found that Parr did mention bullying and intimidation in his reports to the board, stating the problems were “unnecessarily prevalent” at Dilworth because of the lack of supervising staff outside of school hours.

“There is one severe problem that besets all boarding schools but seems to be particularly marked at Dilworth. The constant and widespread bullying, both physical and verbal, is a social ill which is exceedingly difficult to correct … Sadly, some serious wrongs are committed,” he said in a report in 1974.

He wanted more support for boys instead of investing in school buildings. The inquiry found the board made some changes in recognition of the problems.

The inquiry found most former students who reported being sexually abused or seriously physically assaulted said they did not complain at the time because they felt powerless, were sworn to secrecy or believed they would get in trouble.

Boys who had been sexually abused also carried a burden of shame and feared they would be targeted as a homosexual if anyone found out - something that would result in bullying from other students.

While most were scared some students did report abuse to friends, parents or staff members, including the headmaster.

Leonard Cave appears in the High Court at Auckland for sentencing in August. Photo / Michael Craig

The report described how Parr thanked a student who said he was being indecently assaulted by music teacher Leonard Cave in 1971.

Cave left some time around then but there was no written evidence of the complaint or that the board was informed.

“Three years later, in 1974, despite this knowledge, Mr Parr permitted Mr Cave to return to the school. He later appointed him head of music, a position he held until his second resignation 11 years later in 1985.”

In that role, Cave was accused by four boys of sexual abuse during visits to his bach on Waiheke Island. He then went on to teach at St Paul’s Collegiate, where he was accused of abusing a student there.

The now 76-year-old is currently serving eight years in jail after being convicted of 11 charges of historic offending that included indecent assault, indecency between males, sexual violation, and supplying cannabis and LSD to students.

The inquiry found there were examples of staff leaving suddenly after complaints were made. In one case students raised concerns about house tutor Johnathon Stephens. Parr called police and “it was just a couple of days” later that he left Dilworth.

“Both students recalled Mr Parr told each of the students they were not allowed to tell anyone what had happened.”

Between 1976 and 1978 there were multiple complaints about school chaplain Peter Taylor who enticed students to his home to see model trains and groomed boys with flying lessons.

Taylor told one student he raped numerous times that it was “normal and … Jesus and his disciples did it”. He abused another boy during a counselling session after a family member died and fondled a different student when he was getting ready to be baptised.

The inquiry’s review of boarding house diaries from 1976 to 1978 revealed 41 entries where Taylor had taken students out of their boarding house, sometimes on their own and often late into the night.

One staff member gave evidence that despite early indications Taylor was breaking house rules nothing was done to stop him. While staff didn’t know there was sexual abuse they did feel there were clear warning signs that were not acted on.

“The boys were meant to be in bed by 9pm, so the fact that Peter [Taylor] had a boy out that late should have been unacceptable.”

The staff member said Parr often defended Taylor and never wanted to hear a bad word spoken against him.

Many former students said that by 1978 the school was rife with rumours Taylor was abusing boys while former staff recalled hearing rumours of his “unsavoury tendencies”.

When Taylor was eventually confronted about the allegations he was told by Parr and the board that if he returned with a written admission he would be able to leave immediately and wouldn’t be reported to police.

“Mr Taylor duly returned after 15 minutes with the written admission and resigned with immediate effect.”

Former Trust Board chairman Derek Firth says there was no cover-up of any sexual abuse at Dilworth. Photo / Abuse in Care Inquiry

Board member Derek Firth, who was involved in the meeting, said the board didn’t understand the seriousness of the complaints at the time and hadn’t seen written material given to Parr about the offending.

The inquiry found school’s failure to report his offending to the police was inconsistent with the approach taken three years earlier when there was an allegation of a sexual assault of a student on a younger student.

It was also during this era that students were abused by Richard Galloway and Ian Wilson.

“Seven former students described being lured around the age of 13 into a world of alcohol, other drugs, pornography and sexual abuse after Mr Richard Galloway was brought into the scout troupe by tutor, housemaster and scout leader Mr Wilson.”

There were also complaints about Keith Dixon in 1973, although no school records exist of his time there despite him being dismissed as the result of a physical assault complaint.

Nine former students reported being abused by him sexually and physically. One described rebuffing his advances and being hit across the fact as a result. Parr received two complaints about Dixon that year.

One former student who was strapped across the face by Dixon reported it to Parr who told the boy to return to class. Soon after students were told Dixon had received a promotion and was leaving.

The student and his friend were then called into Rex McIntosh’s office.

“He then yelled at them for going over his head to complain about Mr Dixon and that as a result a ‘perfectly good tutor’ was losing his job.”

In 1976 Parr received a complaint about McIntosh abusing a boy at night from a staff member but it took three years for the school to take action.

Concerns were also raised about tutor Graeme Lindsay, who was later convicted for sexually abusing a student on a Scouts camp, and Richard Galloway, who remained at the school for another two years.

In October 1978, the report says Parr again broached the problems as he saw them, asking the board to address the “important issues”.

His concerns continued to focus on inadequate facilities, inadequate staffing levels and the need for professional counselling support. When Taylor departed he recommended the appointment of a counsellor instead of a chaplain.

The inquiry noted the school spent “many years hiding the reality of Mr Taylor’s offending”, including failing to report it to the Department of Education on two occasions.

One was in 1979 when he was employed at Papakura High School. The Department of Education district inspector for schools approved his placement “after checking with Dilworth”.

Taylor went on to abuse and act inappropriately with boys in two Auckland parishes in the 1980s. His licence was cancelled in 1987.

1979–1997: Headmaster Murray Wilton. Board chairmen Donald (Bill) Cotter (1979–1996), Derek Firth (1996–1997)

Sixty-four men said they were sexually abused during this period and the inquiry became aware of another 25 survivors. Seventy-five reported serious physical abuse and 46 reported experiencing both sexual and physical.

“Many reported a school environment characterised by fear, bullying, and intimidation and where rumours of staff sexually abusing students in the school were pervasive and ongoing.”

The inquiry spoke with 35 former staff members, including headmaster Dr Murray Wilton, who went on to write the Dilworth Legacy which recorded a detailed history of the school’s first 100 years.

Dr Wilton told the inquiry the school was “out of control” when he arrived, dominated by a hard core of extremely difficult boys intent on destroying it, and he believed he was hired to return Dilworth to “its heyday”.

He said he spent the first three to four years “weeding out and replacing bad boys with good ones”.

Dr Wilton told the inquiry he was unaware of the extent of Peter Taylor’s abuse when taking the job. However, a staff member told the inquiry one of the first things he did when Ross Browne was appointed as the new chaplain was to ask him to do some follow-up counselling with known victims.

Students at the school during this time continued to describe it as a “cold and harsh environment with little emotional or pastoral support”. Fear and trepidation remained and many described it as rigid, punitive and controlling.

Students also described board members and the headmaster as unapproachable.

Dr Murray Wilton speaking about the historic sexual abuse at Dilworth where he was the headmaster between 1979 and 1997. Photo / Supplied

The inquiry found harsh discipline and punishments were still imposed, often for minor offences, and despite Dr Wilton stating he was opposed to the cane and that it was rarely used after 1982 and abolished in 1987 documents proved otherwise.

“It appears to us, on reviewing the letter, school punishment books, and students’ and staff statements, that Dr Wilton’s assertion that he was opposed to the use of the cane and set about abolishing its use on taking up his position, probably reflects a view formed in hindsight, rather than a reflection of his views and practice at the time.”

“The ‘short sharp infliction of pain’ referred to by Dr Wilton was not the reality for a number of students we spoke to, and it was not soon forgotten.”

Violent bullying by senior students also continued with the 1994 yearbook stating: “Prefects have authority over all boys at all times”.

The report described how senior students would torment younger by using a “death mat” - a mat with spikes that they had to kneel across while older boys sat on their backs. Hot pipes and towel rails were used to hurt students and night beatings were common. Some described being whipped with guitar strings, burnt with heated metal coat hangers, held underwater, having their nipples electrocuted with a car battery and being held over a motorway barrier above moving traffic.

“A former student said he continues to sleep in defensive positions because of the night attacks. Another described the abuse suffered at night causing them anxiety, stopping them from using the toilet at night, and resulting in life-long bowel problems.”

Students gave evidence of suffering various injuries, including teeth being knocked out, bleeding and bruising and one boy having a tendon in his arm split during an attack.

“Students described that they never felt safe, as the bullying was not just physical, but also psychological, with students taunted for differences in physique, called racial slurs or taunted for being perceived as homosexual. The boarding environment meant there was no reprieve from the bullying.”

The report says things began to change in the 1980s with the school making some effort to stop bullying.

During the inquiry, a folder was found in the school’s archives. It had more than 30 original written accounts from students, dated June 1984, outlining bullying and sexual abuse they had experienced in the Watling boarding house at the hands of other students.

The report says there was no evidence that parents were informed but Dr Wilton said in a newsletter to them a month later that “bullying will not be tolerated in the school”.

Some staff spoken to during the inquiry acknowledged bullying did occur with one saying bullying and harassment was a “closely kept secret”.

But it wasn’t just students doing the bullying.

One student recalls being verbally abused by a teacher because he had a speech impediment while others said they were subject to daily verbal attacks and insults.

“The inquiry was told the teacher would pick on students, particularly Māori students, telling them they were stupid. [The teacher] made up derogatory nicknames for boys and would use them instead of their actual names … and was telling the brown kids they wouldn’t last.”

The inquiry found at least three housemasters abused students during this era: Howard Wynyard, Alister Harlow and an unnamed staff member.

Leonard Cave and Ian Wilson were also still abusing boys at the school at this time.

Ian Wilson was jailed for nine years. Photo / Elizabeth Binning

The new school chaplain, Ross Browne, also began in 1980 and remained in the role for 25 years. He was recently convicted of sexual offending against 14 former students and the inquiry heard from many former students who were groomed and abused during Dr Wilton’s era.

“Perhaps the most significant demonstration of Mr Browne’s institutional grooming was that, despite not having any qualifications or professional experience, his giving massages to students appears to have been tolerated by the headmaster as an acceptable activity for a chaplain to undertake.”

Browne ran Christian Living classes and the inquiry heard from students who were encouraged by him to masturbate during them, telling them it was normal. Some abuse led on from those classes with Browne conducting “penis checks”, calling students to his office where he would inspect and touch their genitals.

Browne also abused boys at school camps, during one-on-one counselling sessions and at the Crypt, a drop-in centre in a room opposite his office where students could hang out.

One teacher said Browne was very close to Wilson and “invariably they had lots of little boys following in their wake”.

“They were like Pied Pipers, always surrounded by numerous younger boys. I felt this was unhealthy, as did others.”

Many former students told the inquiry they did not feel able to report abuse and bullying. If they did, nothing changed. Some tried to get expelled by stealing, drinking alcohol or leaving the school without permission.

One student described being so desperate to escape abuse he decided to flee the country, intent on killing himself.

“To fund the trip, he took the extreme action of robbing a bank.”

The report described how students repeatedly felt like there was no one for them to raise concerns with during this era. They also believed the school was trying “to cover things up”.

“Former students spoke of knowing other students who were being abused, or suspecting they were being abused. Students reported not wanting to report abuse because they would not be believed or because no action would be taken to stop the abuse even once reported.”

The inquiry found the school still didn’t have a formal policy in place for handling complaints of abuse by students.

During this era, one staff member accused of physically abusing three students eventually resigned, with a signed confidentiality agreement and two positive references from the headmaster and a staff member.

In 1979 housemaster and tutor Rex McIntosh was eventually asked to leave after an earlier complaint about him was dismissed by Parr in 1976. The allegations against him were never reported to police.

Dr Wilton said this was because Newmarket police told him the conduct was not likely criminal and a headmaster at another school told him to “get rid of the man as soon as possible”.

“Dr Wilton confirmed there was no further investigation into Mr McIntosh’s conduct at the school. He accepted that ‘if a full investigation had been carried out at the time, it is highly probable that further revelations (Cave, Wilson, and perhaps Wynyard) would have come to light’.”

The inquiry was told of three complaints or investigations undertaken in respect of members of staff that did not appear to have been reported to the board during Dr Wilton’s leadership.

Teacher Robert Wynyard resigned from the school on the basis of ill health and Dr Wilton, who had been advised to dissuade him from seeking another teaching position, provided a reference where he recorded his respect “for his ability as a teacher”.

Wynyard was charged during Operation Beverly in relation to offending against six students and is now behind bars.

The inquiry also found no record of the school’s response to offending by Leonard Cave existed, despite the board approving a payment to continue his salary for a further two months after his resignation “with immediate effect”.

The inquiry found the school’s response to allegations against Cave “again failed to meet the Department of Education best practice guidelines”.

“There was no police referral and no support provided to the victim. Mr Cave, however, was supported, in the form of a glowing reference to use in obtaining his next teaching role. The parent did learn of the abuse, but this was because of her son’s disclosure to her, not the school’s advice to her.”

In relation to Browne, a staff member said they went straight to Dr Wilton in about 1988 or 1989 after seeing a boy coming out of his office in a dishevelled state. He said Dr Wilton told him to “Leave it to me, I will look after it”.

Dr Wilton said he gave Browne a verbal warning. Another teacher also reported concerns about Browne’s behaviour, including giving boys massages and his sex education classes, to Dr Wilton.

The mother of one boy told the inquiry she was told she had a “big imagination” after raising her concern with Dr Wilton and a matron told a student he was “nasty and disgusting and not to make up stories” after telling her he had been abused by Browne.

“While it would take 10 years for the school to require Mr Browne’s resignation for his encouragement of masturbation in his classes, the school leadership had been told about it as early as 1996.”

The first record of Ian Wilson’s abuse also came to the attention of school leadership in July 1996 when a former student came forward after bumping into him in the community.

Concerned other boys remained at risk the student contacted Dr Wilton saying he would be going to the police about the abuse he suffered. The report says Dr Wilton did not inform the board until October and no restrictions appear to have been put in place to prevent Wilson from coming in contact with other students. He was even able to go on an overnight marae visit for three days with students.

It wasn’t until December when the board chairman and Dr Wilton sat down and interviewed Wilson and told him he would be put on paid leave pending investigation. Two days later it was agreed Wilson would resign and Dr Wilton would provide a reference.

“As he did for Mr Wynyard, Mr Cave and Staff Member RZ, Dr Wilton wrote a reference for Mr Wilson that presented a picture of an exemplary employee. Running to three pages in length, it extolled Mr Wilson’s contribution to all aspects of life at the school.

“Once again, the school took no steps to ascertain whether there were any other victims, either from the 1970s or up to 1996. Mr Wilson has subsequently pleaded guilty to offending against 10 further students.”

When asked by the inquiry why he gave such glowing references for the men, Dr Wilton said two were prepared before he knew the full extent of the complaints.

“Dr Wilton also told the inquiry he expected that any future employer would ring him to discuss the references provided, thereby placing responsibility for finding any adverse comment on future employers.”

The inquiry found there remained a " deep anger at the school, specifically the headmaster and the board” among former students who gave evidence.

“This anger was especially strong where a student had made a complaint about an abuser and nothing had been done.”

The report says offending remained frequent during Dr Wilton’s era and there were more complaints of sexual abuse in this era than in any other.

“Staff abused students in the dormitories, in boarding areas, in private lessons, in chaplain counselling sessions, in the crypt, on school camps, at scouting events and during weekends away.”

“We find that Mr Browne was an offender who groomed students, their families, and staff and senior leadership and utilised this technique to great effect. No other staff member had as many complaints and concerns raised about their conduct.”

The inquiry found the cumulative effect of complaints made between 1994 and 1996 should have been a “watershed moment” for the board.

“By 1996, viewed in the most favourable light, the senior leadership of the school and board knew they were not dealing with an isolated issue or that it was limited to one or two “bad apples” on the staff. They knew of the sexual abuse of multiple students by six staff, some of whose departure was very recent.”

The report also says Dr Wilton’s glowing references - which he has since apologised for - were indicative of a desire to “hide or be rid of the problem as soon as possible”. It also reflected a “concerning lack of appreciation or care” about the damage it caused to students who were abused.

The school was also found to have intentionally prioritised “reputational damage control” over the wellbeing of students.

1997–2018: Principal Donald MacLean.

Board chairmen Derek Firth (1997–2000, 2009–2015), John Potter (2001–2008), Jonathan Wain (2016–2018) and Aaron Snodgrass (2018–present)

Twenty-three former students gave evidence they had been sexually abused during this era and the inquiry is aware of eight others. Sixteen of these related to sexual abuse by a student. Twenty-two reported serious physical abuse. Sixteen reported both sexual abuse and serious physical abuse.

Many reported a school environment that was still isolating and unsupportive.

Mr MacLean told the inquiry the school was still reeling over Ian Wilson’s conviction when he became headmaster but there was no handover in terms of the offending.

“He knew what had happened only from the media reports.”

During this era, the school’s first policy to address student complaints was introduced, with further developments of it in 2006.

A key focus was on bullying. Staff received some training in “understanding sexual offending” in 1998 and in 2002 a programme was rolled out to help students understand what being safe meant and how to handle situations where they felt unsafe.

Other things were also starting to change with fewer former students telling the inquiry that school was a cold or harsh place. Some went as far as to say the campus “was not too bad”.

“Generally, students were far more positive about the MacLean era, and a number described the valuable education they received and the positive time they had at Dilworth.”

However, sexual abuse still continued.

Students raised concerns while giving evidence about a lack of adequate counselling and some said they later discovered what had been discussed during a session with the pastoral care team had been shared with others.

The inquiry found the number of students complaining about physical abuse from staff reduced markedly but violent bullying, punishments and physical beatings from older students continued.

One student said he was knocked unconscious after being king hit. Another had his wrist broken after being thrown into a door.

Some of the bullying also had a sexual element - one student who refused to give oral sex to an older student had rumours spread about him, was called names and was shoved into a wall and spat on.

“Despite the introduction of policies designed to address bullying or express the school’s intolerance towards bullying, students said staff members were reluctant to intervene when a complaint was made,” the report says.

One student told the inquiry his friend, who was badly bullied, left the school and took his own life soon afterwards. Another student reported feeling suicidal due to the bullying he experienced and his mother removed him from the school.

There were also examples of bullying by teachers and staff members.

Ross Browne was chaplain at Dilworth School from 1979 until 2006. Photo / NZ Herald

Ross Browne continued to offend against students during this time. He was allowed to resign in 2006 after complaints were made.

Students who were abused during this era described not being able to sleep at night, having suicidal thoughts, declining academic achievement and one said he felt like Dilworth was like a jail “but with more rape”.

Another student described feeling so uncomfortable that he froze in fear when the abuse took place.

“In those moments you go somewhere else and there is a disconnect from your body. It makes you feel numb but it is a way of dealing with the abuse and pain. Now I find it hard to be in my body sometimes, especially in intimate moments as it can be incredibly triggering … I have questioned my own sexuality and whether I am this way because of what happened to me with Father Browne.”

It was a sentiment the inquiry found summed up the experience of many students.

It also found students from this era were “very vocal and articulate about their anger at the school allowing situations where the abuse could take place, failing to take any action, and the subsequent denial of any knowledge, particularly in respect of Mr Browne’s offending”.

MacLean told the inquiry he didn’t receive any indication in his handover that there were problems with Browne when he started. The complaints about him continued.

When Browne eventually resigned he received three months’ salary in lieu of notice as well as an additional 10 weeks of sabbatical leave. He was also allowed to remain in his school-provided house for a further three months as part of a confidential settlement.

In March 2018 former student Neil Harding contacted the school and spoke with the board’s general manager telling them he had been abused by both Peter Taylor and Ian Wilson.

The following month he gave the board a report outlining his experiences and suggested some questions it needed to ask itself, including identifying unknown abusers and survivors. He also identified principles he considered the board needed to be guided by in developing a response to historical abuse and how it should work with survivors on a resolution.

He was willing to work with the school and his report was “largely the catalyst for the actions” the school went on to take in terms of addressing the abuse at Dilworth.

The board, headed by new chairman Aaron Snodgrass, met in May 2018 to discuss historical abuse and review confidential files it held on 14 known teachers, tutors or people in positions of authority who went on to abuse boys.

The board started to focus on what steps were needed to respond to growing awareness of the abuse, including engaging the services of a clinical psychologist, reviewing its physical environment and developing an education programme about abuse.

The report says the inquiry was not aware of any sexual or serious physical abuse by a staff member since 2018 and there has been a major and concerted effort by the board, and school leadership to change the culture.

By 2020 police had launched Operation Beverly, an investigation looking at historical abuse which ultimately led to the arrests from which police have charged 12 former staff and one volunteer in relation to 65 students.

The inquiry found the number of staff who sexually offended during this era was much lower than in previous ones but “the persistent and abusive behaviour of students towards students who were different remained similar”.

It also found dealing with each complaint as an isolated case was “a short-sighted approach that led to the major scandal now engulfing the school”.

“The board cannot claim ignorance of its pastoral-care obligations. It had its own legal advice from 1994 that it should consider the possibility of undetected victims, as well as evolving guidance from the Department of Education.”

Survivor Neil Harding is leading a class action against Dilworth saying the school failed in its duty of care to protect the boys who were abused. Photo / NZ Herald

For the survivors, including Neil Harding, the report validates what they have been saying since news broke about the historical offending at Dilworth.

“This is a very thorough and honest report that not only details the extent of the sexual abuse at Dilworth, it also describes that the Dilworth Trust Board knew that boys in its care were being sexually abused and instead of stopping it from happening, they took steps to cover it up - allowing it to continue from the 1950s through to 2006.

“The report speaks for itself, and we extend our heartfelt appreciation to all survivors, their families, and others who have bravely come forward to share their experiences, ensuring that the truth of what was allowed to occur at Dilworth is now fully exposed.”

The school’s board responded saying it promised to examine the report with “utmost care and consideration”.

“The accounts of abuse endured by some former students, and the effect it has had on their lives, are heartbreaking. The report is unsparingly honest about our school’s historical failures to protect students. It will help us to learn from our past mistakes, which I hope will contribute in a meaningful way to the recovery and healing process for former students who were abused, their families and whānau,” said chairman Aaron Snodgrass.

“The board apologises to all those who suffered abuse while students at our school. We also apologise to their families and whānau. The report makes abundantly clear that it was not their fault. It was their school that failed to protect them and for that we are truly sorry.”

Elizabeth Binning is the Open Justice editor. She’s been with NZME for more than 20 years in various roles and has written extensively about Dilworth since the allegations first broke in 2020.