Whanganui Chronicle
  • Whanganui Chronicle home
  • Latest news
  • Sport
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Property
  • Death notices
  • Classifieds

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • On The Up
  • Sport
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Residential property listings
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology

Locations

  • Taranaki
  • National Park
  • Whakapapa
  • Ohakune
  • Raetihi
  • Taihape
  • Marton
  • Feilding
  • Palmerston North

Media

  • Video
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-Editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

Weather

  • New Plymouth
  • Whanganui
  • Palmertson North
  • Levin

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / Whanganui Chronicle

Public's rights come first

Whanganui Chronicle
10 Oct, 2011 08:34 PM3 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

Questions should now be asked about Wanganui District Council and the Community Probation Service's handling of the Kingsford Corkill affair.

As revealed in Saturday's Wanganui Chronicle, 82-year-old Corkill has left his council flat after residents became aware of his history and complained.

Corkill was released from jail earlier this year after serving six-and-a-half years for sexual offending against 11 boys in New Plymouth between 1966 and 1998.

He had pleaded guilty to 34 counts of indecent assault.

He was moved to a council unit at the Rothesay Flats, after the Community Probation Service approached Wanganui District Council. Wanganui Mayor Annette Main claims the council felt the flats were the best option as, among other things, they were quiet and safe.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Some will make arguments in Corkill's favour - they will say he has done his time behind bars, and was obviously assessed as being suitable to live under the extended supervision order scheme, without posing a risk to the public.

That may be so.

But surely his history and the severity of his offending was sufficient to ensure that people living around him should have been told of his past.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Yes, there is a risk that having that history revealed to his neighbours may well have impeded Corkill's chance to reintegrate into society. In this day and age, there are probably privacy issues also.

But in the grey area where the rights of offenders and the rights of the general public meet, surely this is one instance where the rights of the public must come first.

Community Probation Service regional manager Heather Mackie told the Chronicle that anyone with concerns about an offender should contact police or community probation.

But that's a bit difficult when the person's history has been concealed.

The fact that the other residents in Rothesay Flats only became aware of Corkill's past through a New Plymouth District Court employee visiting a relative is a bad look.

It's hard to imagine anyone involved with the council or the probation service not realising that neighbours would be concerned about someone with Corkill's background living among them.

The other residents of Rothesay Flats will no doubt now feel a sense of relief that Corkill has elected to move on and live with a friend, no doubt having considered the potential animosity from neighbours in the wake of his past being revealed.

Hopefully that relief will overcome the feeling those same neighbours likely felt when details of this situation first began to emerge - the feeling of being duped.

Feedback: editor@wanganuichronicle.co.nz

Save

    Share this article

Latest from Whanganui Chronicle

Whanganui Chronicle

Chaos as Ruapehu council rejects officials' advice on water

10 Jul 03:15 AM
Whanganui Chronicle

Strong winds bring weather warning and watches

10 Jul 03:00 AM
Whanganui Chronicle

'Values-led' construction company takes top prize at Māori Business Awards

10 Jul 01:00 AM

From early mornings to easy living

sponsored
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from Whanganui Chronicle

Chaos as Ruapehu council rejects officials' advice on water

Chaos as Ruapehu council rejects officials' advice on water

10 Jul 03:15 AM

The officials' recommendation was estimated to save the community $40 million.

Strong winds bring weather warning and watches

Strong winds bring weather warning and watches

10 Jul 03:00 AM
'Values-led' construction company takes top prize at Māori Business Awards

'Values-led' construction company takes top prize at Māori Business Awards

10 Jul 01:00 AM
Whanganui missing child safe and well

Whanganui missing child safe and well

10 Jul 12:05 AM
Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky
sponsored

Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky

NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • Whanganui Chronicle e-edition
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Subscribe to the Whanganui Chronicle
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • NZME Events
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP