Marylands Reserve and street to keep name of school where abuse occurred, for now

Friday, 25 February 2022

A bid to change the name of a reserve and street, which share their name with a school where “horrific” child abuse happened, is on hold, for now.

An official request to rename Christchurch's Marylands Reserve and Marylands Pl – along with two other streets – was made by a Hamilton woman in March last year.

The reserve and street share their name with Marylands School that operated in Christchurch from the 1950s until 1984. Abuse at the school is being investigated by the Abuse in Care Royal Commission.

But, the Waihoro Spreydon-Cashmere community board is not going to consider changing names until the Royal Commission publishes its final reports, which is due to happen before mid-2023.

**READ MORE:

* Marylands child abuse 'cause of deep shame and sorrow' for Catholic Church - Archbishop

* 'This is my justice': Witness tells inquiry about multiple rapes at Christchurch school

* Former St Peter's students contact Abuse in Care Royal Commision

* Royal Commission launches separate probe into Marylands abuse

**

The choice to delay decision-making has angered abuse survivors.

Hamilton-based Anna Kerr, who asked the community board to make the changes, said society should not honour or memorialise places where children were harmed.

She said her former brother-in-law attended Marylands and was abused there. He had previously been paid compensation by St John of God, which ran the school, for the alleged sexual abuse.

Kerr also wanted the names of Nazareth Ave and Magdala Pl changed. She said they were linked to Catholic orphanages where her cousin was mistreated.

Christchurch woman Ann Thompson previously alleged abuse at Nazareth House and St Joseph's Catholic Orphanage for Girls, the latter of which Kerr said was on the same site as another place for women, called Mount Magdala.

Karolin Potter​, the chair of the community board, said changing names before the Royal Commission would set a precedent.

She worried the decision would be used against the board in the future.

“We'd be helpless then,” Potter said. “It’s all about precedent and you know that, so it really is prudent to wait for a recommendation.

“It doesn't make much difference, it will only be a few more months.”

Potter said it was important to get the decision right and do so with a clear pathway of decision-making.

“I want to be able to set things in concrete that can't be changed in the future, that can’t be put back.”

Potter said she could not imagine what it would be like to be subject to abuse.

“It’s just appalling what happened to those kids,” she said.

Changing the name of a street would require public consultation with affected residents and cost about $1000, a city council spokeswoman said.

Darryl Smith, a survivor of Marylands School, said the name should be removed instantly.

He recently told the Royal Commission about how several older boys abused him when he was at the school. He arrived there in 1971, at the age of 7.

“As a survivor, this makes me furious that they're using the Royal Commission as a scapegoat about the change of the name, they can change the name at any time they want,” Smith said.

Smith said the reserve and street should have had their named changed when the abuse first came to light, after a police investigation in the early 2000s.

Another survivor of Marylands, Alan Nixon, who now goes by the name Owl, said he wanted the name gone from the reserve and street.

The name brought up too many memories, he said. “There should be no excuses any more,” Nixon said.

“It just doesn't fit in the Christchurch area or even in New Zealand because it is a darkest moment for the boys,” he said.

“I have strong thoughts about this, it should’ve been changed a long time ago.”