Can’t understand why they’ve never given Ellis a pardon – it’s pretty clear it was a gross miscarriage of justice and he’s made it fairly clear that it’s not about liability he just wants his name cleared.
Higherstandard, if you’re wanting some deeper insights into the reasons why Peter Ellis has not been pardoned, I would strongly recommend you have a read of Lynley Hood’s dissection of the Ellis case (if you haven’t already). But very broadly, the obstacles to a pardon are:
(a) lots of people connected with the case (Judges, lawyers, QC’s, psychologists, politicians and many other people of high standing) will be made to look like fools if Ellis is pardoned. Many of these people have staked a reasonable amount of their professional reputations on their conduct during the Ellis case;
(b) although Ellis is undoubtedly innocent, child sexual abuse is political dynamite, and politicians don’t like pardoning those convicted of such crimes, even if they are innocent. Few crimes have the capacity to excite public anger like child sexual abuse, and the government may be concerned that the act of pardoning Ellis may be interpreted by at least some of the electorate that the government is going “soft” on child sexual abusers;
(c) if Ellis is pardoned, our criminal justice system will have to face a raft of uncomfortable questions. Hood was able to prove that not only is Ellis innocent, but that the alleged “crimes” at the Christchurch Civic Creche never took place. Ellis would have had to defy to laws of physics in order to commit the crimes he now stands convicted of. A properly functioning criminal justice system should have been able to pick up on this fact and acquit Ellis as a matter of course. The fact that this did not happen suggests something has gone seriously awry in our criminal justice system. An official inquiry of some sort would almost certainly take place, and it may reveal a number of ugly and unpalatable truths that the present government doesn’t need in light of such issues as the Christchurch rebuild, the economy, etc.
There are other factors at play too, but in the interests of brevity I’ll stop here.
Christchurch-based Leanne Dalziel, who was a member of the Justice and Electoral Committee when it was considering the Brash petition, has always been of the view that Ellis was guilty (who knows, she may have changed her mind). However, in fairness to Dalziel, it should be noted that she did exempt herself from all of the Committee’s considerations of the Ellis petition. I do not know what influence (if any) her views on this case may have had on the Labour caucus.
As far as I’m concerned all three of those points are positives, but then again, I actually care that those convicted of any offense are genuinely the people who did the deed.
the shits that dragooned him need to be flogged in public as well.
I well remember the interview with a bunch of hysterical mothers whose almost incoherent venom knew no bounds. Even at the time they reminded me of the women who sat knitting in front of the guillotine shouting the French equivalent of “off with their heads” or some such. It was the first indication to me that something with that case against Ellis was badly wrong.
I think it is a disgrace that so many Ministers have avoided doing the right thing by Peter Ellis.
Look at the Paper by Ross Francis of Wellington for the Law Society Journal, Nov 2007, showing new evidence.
randal – yes I agree.
I will be watching closely as iIdo not think that man should ever have been accused of doing harm to any child.
The policeman heading the investigation was a born again as well as the mother who initally made the complaint. Just goes to show how dangerous these cults of born agains can be on our society,
But when have you know the police to come out and say we got it wrong, the funny thing is though the police then expect us to have complete faith in their ability to uphold the law in a honest and just way.
Just goes to show how dangerous these cults of born agains can be on our society
Indeed Maggie May; those born agains you refer to are almost as dangerous a cult as those wolverines who devoured Peter Ellis after children were enticed into making allegations which could not be proven, simply because the events in question didn’t actually happen.
There are idiot Christians, idiot agnostics, idiot Muslims and idiot atheists. Don’t tar everyone with the same brush.
I would far rather see Peter Ellis pardoned and compensated than a single penny awarded to David Bain who should, in my opinion, be satisfied with an acquittal that was against the weight of evidence..
One of the things in common in most of these “child abuse” cases has been the presence of fundimentalist Christians as part of the investigation team, either in the Police or among the Social workers. Particularly in the so called “Satanic” abuse variants. There was a book, I think called “Satanic Panic” which looked into this aspect of sveral overseas cases.
The police never convicted him Maggie. And take your religious bigotry elsewhere.
Having said all that, of course he should be pardoned. I feel very sorry for him and all that he has had to endure. This is certainly a blight on our country.
Hi Grumpy – up above you’ll see a reply I made to Higherstandard which outlines some of the factors preventing Ellis from being pardoned. In terms of the political shenanigans that led to Phil Goff (the then Minister for Justice) fluffing this issue, the brief history goes something like this:
Upon becoming Minister for Justice, Phil Goff, who apparently had concerns about the Ellis case, directed Justice Eichelbaum to do a review. Justice Eichelbaum reported back that he had no concerns about the convictions, and that, as Goff made clear, the case for Ellis’ innocence fell short “by a distinct margin”. Eichelbaum’s report was subsequently criticised by many, including a Dunedin author by the name of Lynley Hood.
Lynley Hood’s book A City Possessed was released in 2001. It received almost unanimous critical acclaim from lawyers, academics and other learned authors. It sold very well for a 700 page hardback and won a few literary awards. As a result of the book’s success and widespread acclaim, Goff came under pressure to consider a pardon. Goff responded by asking Val Sim at the Ministry of Justice to assess Hood’s book and the allegations contained within it.
Val Sim produced a virtual hatchet job on Hood’s book. Despite the fact that Hood’s book had been almost universally praised, Sim dismissed the book out of hand. Had Sim at least conceded that Hood’s book raised some significant issues, Sim’s report would have been more compelling, but by dismissing it in total, I can’t help but speculate that Goff may have said to Sim “get this woman and this book off my back!”
Not willing to admit defeat, Don Brash then submitted a petition to Parliament asking that Ellis be pardoned. That petition was considered by the Justice and Electoral Committee. Their report on the petition was bizarre. The Committee was of the view that there was no miscarriage of justice in the Ellis case, but nonetheless they said they were “concerned” at the operation of a number of sections in the Evidence Act.
That simply astonished me. You think Ellis is guilty, yet you’re seriously concerned that the sections used to secure his convictions are faulty? How can they justify that? It’s a bit like saying: “We have heard concerns that fires can cause burns. Having considered the matter, we do not agree, but we nonetheless recommend that people stay as far away as possible from fires”.
Goff also dodged the petition on the grounds that Ellis supporters had not been able to present “any new evidence” for consideration. But this was a red herring. The point of the petition was not that there was any new evidence, the concerns were how the existing evidence was interpreted at the time. But Goff was not interested. As per the “factors” in my response above, there was too much riding on the Ellis case, and Goff did not want to open a can of worms.
Hey well here’s the perfect answer then: pardon Ellis posthumously, after everyone else involved with the fuck up that was the investigation, court case and subsequent reviews has also died.
I followed the Ellis case very closely at the time and during the subsequent appeals etc. including reading (thanks to the net) material that was suppressed.
IIRC, there were two MPs (who are still MPs – one Labour and one National) who had/have personal relationships with parents of children at the creche at the time. Hence, IMO and that of others, the reluctance of both major parties to support indepth investigations, the revelation of new evidence etc. Being a cynic, I strongly doubt that Collins or the current National govt (or Labour opposition) will change their previous stance due to the high listings of both MPs concerned.
These lucid and obviously informed comments Prefab are much appreciated. Frankly the whole affair reflects very badly on NZ’s Court system and has undermined confidence in it rather badly. Everyone knows Ellis is innocent of the crimes he’s convicted of, yet the system cannot bring itself to rectify it’s own mistake. That is very, very concerning.
One question. I can accept that various Ministers, Goff being one of them, have fluffed this badly. There is a pattern of Ministers of Justice being reluctant to intervene where intervention was clearly needed. Why?
Have they been constrained by the convention that our political and judicial arms of government should avoid directly meddling in each other’s operational sphere? Has this sense of not wanting to ‘piddle on each other’s patch’ led to successive Ministers acting to avoid embarrassing some very senior members of the legal fraternity in an entirely unwarranted manner?
BRIAN EDWARDS: In recent months there appears to have been a ground swell of public support for a further review of the conviction of Peter Ellis for the sexual abuse of children in his care at the Christchurch Civic Creche. There can be little doubt that much of the impetus for this ground swell including the petition calling for a Royal Commission to look into the case has come from Lynley Hood whose almost 700 page book, A City Possessed, critically examined the evidence presented at Ellis’s trial and the conduct of the subsequent appeals and the inquiry by Sir Thomas Eichelbaum. Well, Hood has received no less than three Montana awards for A City Possessed and a Doctorate in Literature from Otago University for it and her previous books on Sylvia Ashton-Warner and Minnie Dean. Could she, nonetheless, have got it wrong? …
What will it take for justice to be done – Collins?
Well done prefab sprout, clear logical explanations. Hard to credit that this discussion is courtesy The Standard, but well done for raising this most scandalous festering boil on the N Z justice system”s bum
As per the “factors” in my response above, there was too much riding on the Ellis case, and Goff did not want to open a can of worms.
Yes, in a nut shell. Mind you I think the same would have happened had it been a Nat. govt. Not only would it have caused a few of their ‘establishment mates in high places’ to be publicly embarrassed, there is always the desire (be it a Nat. or Lab. led govt.) to side step any issue that might culminate in millions of dollars in compensation. It would set a precedent for every Tom, Dick or Harry who was incarcerated for a crime they didn’t commit.
Can’t have that!
Chris – should be a copy in your public library, although I was led to believe that some “Librarians” never actually put it on the shelves when published, or was recorded as “out” when requested.
You should read the Eichelbaum report but remember it was actually written by Val Sim, whose “view” it represented. Eichelbaum was ill at the time, but it was published in his name.
Ahh I won’t be able to get that far into it (short attention and all) but it always did surprise how he got convicted rather then the ins and outs of why he was convictedI guess I’m more interested in the motivations of the people who got him convicted like the parents…
Its interesting though that the (admittidly small) snippets I’ve read seem to indicate that rapid homophobia and man-hating feminism seemed to be both at play here… proof that the left and right can work together
Yes, Ellis’ only crime, from where I’m sitting, is to be a bisexual/homosexual male who worked in a child care centre – as part of his community service for being over paid for the UB – from what I read.
The poor guy really had no hope. An accusation was almost guaranteed.
poor old donny brash.
he reached the limit of his expertise when he put his signature on the $1 note and then allowed inflation to drive one dollar notes out of existence.
!!!!!!!!
other than that he knew how to count baloney!
“Everyone” doesn’t know Ellis is innocent. I for one don’t believe he is, even though he may have now convinced himself he is. The judge’s sentencing notes give warning of people wanting to believe otherwise, ignoring the weight of evidence. Yes, there were extreme statements that were not put to the jury, which might have raised questions as to credibility of evidence, but that was because the prosecution judged that they were unsound because of probelms that might have crept on on the second or third interview of young children by people who did not know how to do it. The first interviews were enough to convict, without what might be construed as “leading”.
Lynley Hood’s book was not universally praised, and her subsequent hatchet job of the Unfortunate Experiment, and her lame defence when that was clinically refuted by people who knew stuff, indicates Hood is not the genius investigator people seem to think she is.
And what “hatchet job” would that be? Are you sure you’re not confusing Lynley Hood with Linda Bryder, who did write a (subsequently refuted) hatchet job on the Cartwright Inquiry?
Pleased to someone responding to the drivel above, Adam.
Ellis is guilty. Those of us who know the kids and were actually at the trial know that. Everyone else is basing their opinions on media coverage and Hood’s book. Hood had no intention of writing a balanced investigation, she went into the book with the agenda of “proving” a miscarriage of justice and was supported by the usual misinformed media hysteria that accompany this sort of thing. The most revealing interview with Hood was on a small local TV station when she was asked “what about the kids? The – now adults – who still say he abused them?” She laughed and basically refused to answer the question.
Ellis is guilty. He’s done his time and should shut the f^*k up.
Ron – many of the children who said they were abused by Ellis at the High Court trial have since retracted their allegations … not least the oldest child who was the only one to make any coherent allegations against Ellis.
I would strongly recommend that you at least read the first chapter of Hood’s book. That chapter deals with her overall approach to this case and the reasons why she did not contact the children.
And have you ever asked yourself why Ellis has not, as you say, shut the f**k up? The vast majority of convicted pedophiles strongly protest their innocence in Court, but nonetheless slink off into the shadows after they have been convicted. Ellis is our most notorious pedophile, and yet he refuses to let this matter rest. Why is he still protesting his innocence after so many years? Could it be because he actually is innocent?
PreFab
“Many”? The complainants (and several victims who weren’t complainants) have come under enormous pressure from the media and their lackies and I don’t blame them for recanting. Some left the country. Others have changed their name.
Have read the book and spoken directly to Hood. Hasn’t changed my view because I know the victims and I was at the trial. She bought her own conspiracy theory and then went out to sell it.
I don’t know why Ellis continues to maintain his innocence.
The only scandal here is that so many otherwise intelligent people have bought the apologist line and continue the abuse of those kids..
Those kids were abused. He is guilty.
Adam – I don’t think anybody is suggesting that Hood is a “genius investigator” and I cannot speak for what you consider to be her “hatchet job” on the Unfortunate Experiment. But I think it is significant to note that A City Possessed was almost universally praised by a significant number of scholars, academics, medical practitioners and psychologists. That suggests to me that Hood had got quite a few things right in her analysis of the Civic Creche case, and that the conclusions in her book cannot be dismissed lightly.
You’re right. Apologies there. Hood’s other books are about Sylvia Ashton Warner and Minnie Dean.
In these kind of cases, the hardest thing can be the children getting someone to believe.
Having actually been in the premises where the Christchurch Civic Creche was, I am absolutely certain that Ellis is innocent. The premises are extremely open-plan. I think it is very sad that some children were so brainwashed by leading questions that they still retain false memories.
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Primary, secondary and kindergarten teachers are all on strike today, demanding higher pay and an end to systematic understaffing. While the former is important - wages should at least keep up with inflation - its the latter which is the real issue. As with the health system, teachers have been ...
So the teachers are on strike, marching across Aotearoa today to press their demands for better pay and working conditions.Children remained in bed this brisk morning, many no doubt quite pleased about a day off school. Parents perhaps taking the day off to look after the kids, or working from ...
After the Cold War the consensus among Western military strategists was that the era of Big Wars, defined as peer conflict between large states with full spectrum military technologies, was at an end, at least for the foreseeable future. The … Continue reading → ...
Dairy giant Fonterra has posted a 50% lift in net profit to $546m, doubled its interim dividend, and is proposing a return of capital of 50c a share, injecting a note of optimism into the nation’s dairy industry. Fonterra’s strong performance is against a backdrop of market volatility. It ...
Buzz from the Beehive The bothersome economic news today is that New Zealand’s GDP fell by 0.6% in the December quarter, weaker than market forecasts of a fall of around 0.2% and much weaker than the Reserve Bank’s assumption of a 0.7% rise. This followed the even-more-bothersome news yesterday that ...
Ouch: Hipkins’ policy bonfire has resulted in an expensive self-administered removal of a Budgetary foot with an explosive device. File Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTLDR: Bonfires can be dangerous things when they get out of control. They also create a lot of smoke and heat and burn the grass. ...
* Dr Bryce Edwards writes – I teach a first-year course at Victoria University of Wellington about government and the political process in New Zealand. In “Introduction to Government and Law”, students learn there are rules preventing senior public servants from getting involved in big political debates – as we ...
I teach a first year course at Victoria University of Wellington about government and the political process in New Zealand. In “Introduction to Government and Law”, students learn there are rules preventing senior public servants from getting involved in big political debates – as we have recently witnessed with Rob ...
An issue of integrity has claimed the first ministerial scalp in Prime Minister Chris Hipkins’ premiership. Police Minister Stuart Nash lasted mere weeks in the role after admitting in a radio interview this morning that he had called Police Commissioner Andrew Coster to ask him if police were going to ...
For some time now we’ve known that the cost and completion timeframe for the City Rail Link would increase. Yesterday we finally learned by just how much. Costs City Rail Link Ltd (CRL Ltd) today confirms it has submitted a formal funding request to its Sponsors – the Crown and ...
Political parties that want to negotiate with the Green Party must come to the table with much faster, bolder climate action, co-leaders James Shaw and Marama Davidson emphasised in their State of the Planet speech today. ...
Political parties that want to negotiate with the Green Party after the election must come to the table with much faster, bolder climate action, co-leaders James Shaw and Marama Davidson emphasised today. ...
You will never truly understand, from the pictures you’ve seen in the newspapers or on the six o-clock news, the sheer scale of the devastation wrought by Cyclone Gabrielle. ...
We’re boosting incomes and helping ease cost of living pressures on Kiwis through a range of bread and butter support measures that will see pensioners, students, families, and those on main benefits better off from the start of next month. ...
The error Labour Ministers made by stopping work on a beverage container return scheme will be reversed by the Greens at the earliest opportunity as part of the next Government. ...
“Cabinet needs to do better - and today has shown exactly why we need Green Ministers in cabinet, so we can prioritise action to cut climate pollution and support people to make ends meet,” says Green Party co-leader Marama Davidson. ...
Biggest increase in food prices for over three decades shows the need for an excess profit tax on corporations to help people put food on the table. ...
The Green Party has today launched a submission guide to help Aucklanders give crucial input and prevent potentially disastrous Auckland Council budget proposals. ...
With calls growing for inquiries and action on bank profits, the Greens say the Government has all the information it needs to act now and put a levy on banks. ...
As large parts of Aotearoa recover from two of the worst climate disasters we have ever experienced, it would be a huge mistake for the Government to deprioritise climate action from future transport investments, the Green Party says. ...
The Green Party is celebrating the signing of a historic United Nations Ocean Treaty, and calls on the new Oceans and Fisheries Minister to urgently step up protection for Aotearoa’s oceans. ...
77,000 fewer children living in low income households on the after-housing-costs primary measure since Labour took office Eight of the nine child poverty measures have seen a statistically significant reduction since 2018. All nine have reduced 28,700 fewer children experiencing material hardship since 2018 Measures taken by the Government during ...
$2.9 million convertible loan for Scapegrace Distillery to meet growing national and international demand $4.5m underwrite to support Silverlight Studios’ project to establish a film studio in Wanaka Gore’s James Cumming Community Centre and Library to be official opened tomorrow with support of $3m from the COVID-19 Response and Recovery ...
Transport Minister Michael Wood has today launched the first national EV (electric vehicle) charging strategy, Charging Our Future, which includes plans to provide EV charging stations in almost every town in New Zealand. “Our vision is for Aotearoa New Zealand to have world-class EV charging infrastructure that is accessible, affordable, ...
Associate Minister for Social Development and Employment Priyanca Radhakrishnan has today launched the Love Better campaign in a world-leading approach to family harm prevention. Love Better will initially support young people through their experience of break-ups, developing positive and life-long attitudes to dealing with hurt. “Over 1,200 young kiwis told ...
Hon Rino Tirikatene, Minister for Courts, welcomes the Ministry of Justice’s appointment of Dr Garry Clearwater as New Zealand’s first Chief Clinical Advisor working with the Coroners Court. “This appointment is significant for the Coroners Court and New Zealand’s wider coronial system.” Minister Tirikatene said. Through Budget 2022, the Government ...
The Government via the Cyclone Taskforce is working with local government and insurance companies to build a picture of high-risk areas following Cyclone Gabrielle and January floods. “The Taskforce, led by Sir Brian Roche, has been working with insurance companies to undertake an assessment of high-risk areas so we can ...
E te huia kaimanawa, ko Ngāpuhi e whakahari ana i tau aupikinga ki te tihi o te maunga. Ko te Ao Māori hoki e whakanui ana i a koe te whakaihu waka o te reo Māori i roto i te Ao Ture. (To the prized treasure, it is Ngāpuhi who ...
113,400 exits into work in the year to June 2022 Young people are moving off Benefit faster than after the Global Financial Crisis Two reports released today by the Ministry of Social Development show the Government’s investment in the COVID-19 response helped drive record numbers of people off Benefits and ...
The Government’s priority to keep New Zealand at the cutting edge of food production and lift our sustainability credentials continues by backing the next steps of a hi-tech vertical farming venture that uses up to 95 per cent less water, is climate resilient, and pesticide-free. Agriculture Minister Damien O’Connor visited ...
E nga mana, e nga iwi, e nga reo, e nga hau e wha, tena koutou, tena koutou, tena koutou kātoa. Warm Pacific greetings to all. It is an honour to host the inaugural Conference of Pacific Education Ministers here in Tāmaki Makaurau. Aotearoa is delighted to be hosting you ...
The new renal unit at Taranaki Base Hospital has been officially opened by the Minister of Health Dr Ayesha Verrall this afternoon. Te Huhi Raupō received around $13 million in government funding as part of Project Maunga Stage 2, the redevelopment of the Taranaki Base Hospital campus. “It’s an honour ...
Defence Minister Andrew Little has marked the arrival of the country’s second P-8A Poseidon aircraft alongside personnel at the Royal New Zealand Air Force’s Base at Ohakea today. “With two of the four P-8A Poseidons now on home soil this marks another significant milestone in the Government’s historic investment in ...
Aotearoa New Zealand will provide further humanitarian support to those seriously affected by last month’s deadly earthquakes in Türkiye and Syria, says Foreign Minister Nanaia Mahuta. “The 6 February earthquakes have had devastating consequences, with almost 18 million people affected. More than 53,000 people have died and tens of thousands more ...
Migrant communities across New Zealand are represented in the new Migrant Community Reference Group that will help shape immigration policy going forward, Immigration Minister Michael Wood announced today. “Since becoming Minister, a reoccurring message I have heard from migrants is the feeling their voice has often been missing around policy ...
Construction has begun on major works that will deliver significant safety improvements on State Highway 3 from Waitara to Bell Block, Associate Minister of Transport Kiri Allan announced today. “This is an important route for communities, freight and visitors to Taranaki but too many people have lost their lives or ...
Prime Minister Chris Hipkins has today appointed Ginny Andersen as Minister of Police. “Ginny Andersen has a strong and relevant background in this important portfolio,” Chris Hipkins said. “Ginny Andersen worked for the Police as a non-sworn staff member for around 10 years and has more recently been chair of ...
Six further bailey bridge sites confirmed Four additional bridge sites under consideration 91 per cent of damaged state highways reopened Recovery Dashboards for impacted regions released The Government has responded quickly to restore lifeline routes after Cyclone Gabrielle and can today confirm that an additional six bailey bridges will ...
Foreign Minister Nanaia Mahuta departs for China tomorrow, where she will meet with her counterpart, State Councillor and Foreign Minister Qin Gang, in Beijing. This will be the first visit by a New Zealand Minister to China since 2019, and follows the easing of COVID-19 travel restrictions between New Zealand and China. ...
Education Ministers from across the Pacific will gather in Tāmaki Makaurau this week to share their collective knowledge and strategic vision, for the benefit of ākonga across the region. New Zealand Education Minister Jan Tinetti will host the inaugural Conference of Pacific Education Ministers (CPEM) for three days from today, ...
A vital transport link for communities and local businesses has been restored following Cyclone Gabrielle with the reopening of State Highway 5 (SH5) between Napier and Taupō, Associate Minister of Transport Kiri Allan says. SH5 reopened to all traffic between 7am and 7pm from today, with closure points at SH2 (Kaimata ...
Internal Affairs Minister Barbara Edmonds has thanked generous New Zealanders who took part in the special Lotto draw for communities affected by Cyclone Gabrielle. Held on Saturday night, the draw raised $11.7 million with half of all ticket sales going towards recovery efforts. “In a time of need, New Zealanders ...
The Government has announced funding of $3 million for providers to help people, and whānau access community-based Building Financial Capability services. “Demand for Financial Capability Services is growing as people face cost of living pressures. Those pressures are increasing further in areas affected by flooding and Cyclone Gabrielle,” Minister for ...
Minister of Education, Hon Jan Tinetti, has announced appointments to the Board of Education New Zealand | Manapou ki te Ao. Tracey Bridges is joining the Board as the new Chair and Dr Therese Arseneau will be a new member. Current members Dr Linda Sissons CNZM and Daniel Wilson have ...
Fifteen ākonga Māori from across Aotearoa have been awarded the prestigious Ngarimu VC and 28th (Māori) Battalion Memorial Scholarships and Awards for 2023, Associate Education Minister and Ngarimu Board Chair, Kelvin Davis announced today. The recipients include doctoral, masters’ and undergraduate students. Three vocational training students and five wharekura students, ...
High Court Judge Jillian Maree Mallon has been appointed a Judge of the Court of Appeal, and District Court Judge Andrew John Becroft QSO has been appointed a Judge of the High Court, Attorney‑General David Parker announced today. Justice Mallon graduated from Otago University in 1988 with an LLB (Hons), and with ...
The economy has continued to show its resilience despite today’s GDP figures showing a modest decline in the December quarter, leaving the Government well positioned to help New Zealanders face cost of living pressures in a challenging global environment. “The economy had grown strongly in the two quarters before this ...
Aucklanders now have more ways to get around as Transport Minister Michael Wood opened the direct State Highway 1 (SH1) to State Highway 18 (SH18) underpass today, marking the completion of the 48-kilometre Western Ring Route (WRR). “The Government is upgrading New Zealand’s transport system to make it safer, more ...
This section contains briefings received by incoming ministers following changes to Cabinet in January. Some information may have been withheld in accordance with the Official Information Act 1982. Where information has been withheld that is indicated within the document. ...
Aotearoa New Zealand Foreign Affairs Minister Nanaia Mahuta reaffirmed her commitment to working together with the new Government of Fiji on issues of shared importance, including on the prioritisation of climate change and sustainability, at a meeting today, in Nadi. Fiji and Aotearoa New Zealand’s close relationship is underpinned by the Duavata ...
The Government is delivering a coastal shipping lifeline for businesses, residents and the primary sector in the cyclone-stricken regions of Hawkes Bay and Tairāwhiti, Regional Development Minister Kiri Allan announced today. The Rangitata vessel has been chartered for an emergency coastal shipping route between Gisborne and Napier, with potential for ...
The Government will progress to the next stage of the NZ Battery Project, looking at the viability of pumped hydro as well as an alternative, multi-technology approach as part of the Government’s long term-plan to build a resilient, affordable, secure and decarbonised energy system in New Zealand, Energy and Resources ...
This morning I was made aware of a media interview in which Minister Stuart Nash criticised a decision of the Court and said he had contacted the Police Commissioner to suggest the Police appeal the decision. The phone call took place in 2021 when he was not the Police Minister. ...
The Government’s sharp focus on trade continues with Aotearoa New Zealand set to host Trade Ministers and delegations from 10 Asia Pacific economies at a meeting of Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) Commission members in July, Minister for Trade and Export Growth Damien O’Connor announced today. “New Zealand ...
$25 million boost to support more businesses with clean-up in cyclone affected regions, taking total business support to more than $50 million Demand for grants has been strong, with estimates showing applications will exceed the initial $25 million business support package Grants of up to a maximum of $40,000 per ...
80 per cent of 2021 Resident Visas applications have been processed – three months ahead of schedule Residence granted to 160,000 people 84,000 of 85,000 applications have been approved Over 160,000 people have become New Zealand residents now that 80 per cent of 2021 Resident Visa (2021RV) applications have been ...
The Government continues to invest in New Zealand’s burgeoning space industry, today announcing five scholarships for Kiwi Students to undertake internships at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in California. Economic Development Minister Stuart Nash congratulated Michaela Dobson (University of Auckland), Leah Albrow (University of Canterbury) and Jack Naish, Celine Jane ...
The Lead Coordination Minister for the Government’s Response to the Royal Commission’s Report into the Terrorist Attack on the Christchurch Mosques travels to Melbourne, Australia today to represent New Zealand at the fourth Sub-Regional Meeting on Counter-Terrorism and Transnational Security. “The Government is committed to reducing the threat of terrorism ...
The health and safety practices at our nation’s ports will be improved as part of a new industry-wide action plan, Workplace Relations and Safety, and Transport Minister Michael Wood has announced. “Following the tragic death of two port workers in Auckland and Lyttelton last year, I asked the Port Health ...
Bikes, electric bikes and scooters will be added to the types of transport exempted from fringe benefit tax under changes proposed today. Revenue Minister David Parker said the change would allow bicycles, electric bicycles, scooters, electric scooters, and micro-mobility share services to be exempt from fringe benefit tax where they ...
Foreign Affairs Minister Nanaia Mahuta will hold bilateral meetings with Fiji this week. The visit will be her first to the country since the election of the new coalition Government led by Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Sitiveni Rabuka. The visit will be an opportunity to meet kanohi ki ...
Child poverty numbers produced by Statistics New Zealand today showed the continuing need for investment in our most vulnerable families, said CTU Economist Craig Renney. Renney said “the number of children living in poverty has not moved significantly ...
Save the Children is calling on the Government to "keep children in its sights" and continue investing in policies to lift more children and whānau out of poverty following the release of today’s latest child poverty statistics showed no real ...
Ahead of tax season, Avast , a leading digital security and privacy brand of Gen ™ (NASDAQ: GEN), is warning New Zealanders of increased scam activity as cybercriminals prey on taxpayers' vulnerability during a time when they are expecting their tax ...
Analysis by Dr Bryce Edwards. Political Roundup: The Beehive’s revolving door and corporate mateship New Zealanders are uncomfortable with the high level of influence corporate lobbyists have in New Zealand politics, and demands are growing for greater regulation. A recent poll shows 62 per cent of the public support having a ...
In the year ended June 2022, 1 in 4 households that were renting were spending more than 40 percent of their disposable income on housing costs, compared with 1 in 5 households that were paying a mortgage, according to figures released by Stats NZ ...
Child poverty rates for the year ended June 2022 were unchanged compared with the previous year, according to figures released by Stats NZ today. “Child poverty statistics have not changed compared with last year,” general manager social and ...
The former broadcaster Liz Gunn, who has become a vocal figure within the anti-vaccination movement in New Zealand, has appeared in court today after an alleged airport altercation earlier this year. Gunn pleaded not guilty to charges of assault, trespass and resisting arrest over the incident at Auckland International Airport. ...
You don’t need to go to wildlife sanctuaries to see native birds, bugs and reptiles.This is an excerpt from our weekly environmental newsletter Future Proof brought to you by Electric Kiwi – sign up here. Recently I wrote a feature for New Zealand Geographic on weeds – it turns out, a ...
Rental costs have hit a record high, according to new statistics released this morning. Trade Me has reported that the national median rent was up to $600 in February – a jump of 4%, or $25, when compared with the same month in 2022. It’s not unusual to see rent ...
The Free Speech Union welcomes the decision by Immigration New Zealand to not suspend Kellie-Kay Keen-Minshull's NZeTA and to allow her entry into the country, says Jonathan Ayling, Chief Executive of the Free Speech Union. “The Free Speech Union envisions ...
HeartLandNZ represents provincial New Zealand, the heart of the nation, the men and women, workers, contractors, businesses and farmers in the successful primary production sector. For over 30 years these voters have been economically ...
This week, Hera Lindsay Bird ponders whether it’s better to leave a party too early or too late.Want Hera’s help? Email your problem to [email protected]Dear Hera,How can you tell when something is over? A recurring theme through my life is sticking around way past the due date. There have been ...
National’s new education policy will focus on the first eight years of education – primary and intermediate – in an effort to prepare students for high school. The opposition will formally unveil their policy later today – coincidentally (or likely not) in the prime minister’s electorate of Upper Hutt. Erica ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Yen Ying Lim, Associate Professor, Monash University ShutterstockDementia is an umbrella term to describe a progressive neurological condition that affects people’s cognitive abilities, such as memory, language and reasoning. Alzheimer’s is the most common form, but other common ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michael Green, Host + Producer, The Conversation A comparison between two views of the same coral reef on Kiritimati, taken by University of Victoria scientists.Danielle Claar, Kristina Tietjen/University of Victoria Earlier this week, the United Nations’ Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Graham Edgar, Senior Marine Ecologist, Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies, University of Tasmania Graham Edgar/Reef Life Survey, Author provided Marine heatwaves are damaging reef ecosystems around Australia, but while the tropical north has received the lion’s share of the ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Steven Burch, Lecturer in Accounting, University of Tasmania Shutterstock One of the priorities of the federal government’s sweeping Universities Accord is to improve employment conditions in higher education. This is long overdue. Australia’s university sector once set the standard for ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Liam Davies, PhD Candidate, Centre for Urban Research, RMIT University Image: David Kelly, Author provided Australia is in the grip of a housing crisis, with low-income households hit hardest by rising rents and falling vacancy rates. Social housing tenants were ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kristie Patricia Flannery, Research Fellow, Institute for Humanities and Social Sciences, Australian Catholic University Francisco V. Coching’s Rendition of Gabriela Silang Charging on a Mount, 1986 (Ayala Museum). It was around this time of year back in 1763 that Filipino rebels ...
The government’s planning to roll out dozens of new electric vehicle charging stations across the country in new “hubs” that would operate similar to existing petrol stations. The “charging our future” strategy has set a target of bringing in new hubs ever 150 to 200 kilometres along the state highways, ...
This morning we bring you an exclusive on The Spinoff from Dylan Cleaver. Wellington rugby stalwart, one-game All Black and former New Zealand First MP Tutekawa Wyllie has had his probable chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) condition recognised and compensated for by the ACC after a five-year campaign. CTE is a brain ...
New Zealand joins countries around the world by banning TikTok on government-issued devices as the US threatens an outright ban on the popular social media app, writes Anna Rawhiti-Connell in this excerpt from The Bulletin, The Spinoff’s morning news round-up. To receive The Bulletin in full each weekday, sign up here. ...
Big building supply companies have fended off competition by wrapping desirable blocks of land in legal constraints on generations of NZers, alarming the Commerce Commission into issuing a far-reaching warning. Jonathan Milne reports. ...
The Green Party is announcing Teall Crossen as their candidate for the Nelson Whakatū electorate. Teall is an environmental barrister and activist with two decades of experience advocating for the rights of people and nature in the Courts in Aotearoa, ...
NZ Rugby wants to triple the number of female rugby referees - starting with the rise of Natarsha Ganley to Super Rugby honours, and handing a whistle to an Aupiki star player in a new scholarship. Suzanne McFadden writes. Natarsha Ganley loves rules. So during the week, she's on the lookout for ...
Exclusive: All Black turned NZ First MP Tutekawa Wyllie and his wife Margaret have won a landmark battle that could open the floodgates for rugby-related head injury claims. Dylan Cleaver reports.Wellington rugby stalwart, one-game All Black and former New Zealand First MP Tutekawa Wyllie has had his probable chronic ...
Do the results in Mt Albert, Wellington Central and Christchurch East amount to thumbing noses at head office, or are they a sign of party strength?Across three Labour selection contests in three high-profile electorates over the last fortnight, candidates have succeeded from local foundations in seeing off rivals considered ...
This week's anti-trans rally is straight out of the right-wing playbook With strange and toxic prescience, a subject from the new study Histories of Hate:The Radical Right in Aotearoa New Zealand has leapt from the pages of the book into a major news story this week. The ...
More than half of Aotearoa may need to be in native ngahere (bush) to merely blunt future worsening storms, but without such revolutionary change, Aotearoa could descend into a spiral of social, ecological, and economic damage Much of our land is without any trees, or is without the right trees, ...
Unlike other countries around the world, New Zealand has no regulations about lobbying. Is change needed to ensure greater transparency about who's influencing our decision-makers? If you want to know who lobbies the Australian government on behalf of Air New Zealand, you simply go to an online register, type ...
Cyclone Gabrielle’s hammering of Hawkes Bay has ignited fears in Southland of bridges failing and farmland flooding through “mismanagement” of accumulated gravel Southland farmer Barry Taylor is frustrated gravel is being allowed to build up beneath a bridge on one of the country’s key tourist routes despite his years of ...
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Opinion - There's plenty of research supporting lowering the voting age to 16. Public debate and the law just need to catch up, Claire Breen writes. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra As well as her interviews with politicians and experts, Politics with Michelle Grattan includes “Word from The Hill”, where she discusses the news with members of The Conversation’s politics team. In this podcast Michelle and ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jingdong Yuan, Associate Professor, Asia-Pacific security, University of Sydney Chinese President Xi Jinping’s trip to Moscow this week has been more about reiterating China and Russia’s shared interests, and less about any concrete pathway towards ending the war in Ukraine. While a ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Treena Clark, Chancellor’s Postdoctoral Indigenous Research Fellow, Faculty of Design, Architecture and Building, University of Technology Sydney This May, Wiradjuri woman Denni Francisco and her label Ngali will be the first Indigenous designer to have a solo show at Australian Fashion Week. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Treena Clark, Chancellor’s Postdoctoral Indigenous Research Fellow, Faculty of Design, Architecture and Building, University of Technology Sydney This May, Wiradjuri woman Denni Francisco and her label Ngali will be the first Indigenous designer to have a solo show at Australian Fashion Week. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Catherine Robinson, Associate Professor in Housing and Communities, University of Tasmania Shutterstock Thousands of children end up being homeless in Australia without a parent or guardian. In 2021-22, 12,812 children (aged 10-17) were on their own when they sought help ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Catherine Robinson, Associate Professor in Housing and Communities, University of Tasmania Shutterstock Thousands of children end up being homeless in Australia without a parent or guardian. In 2021-22, 12,812 children (aged 10-17) were on their own when they sought help ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By John Hawkins, Senior Lecturer, Canberra School of Politics, Economics and Society, University of Canberra There has been a lot of talk about the risk of financial contagion following the collapse of California’s Silicon Valley Bank. Perhaps too much talk. While the ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By John Hawkins, Senior Lecturer, Canberra School of Politics, Economics and Society, University of Canberra There has been a lot of talk about the risk of financial contagion following the collapse of California’s Silicon Valley Bank. Perhaps too much talk. While the ...
A Pacific elder and former secretary-general of the Pacific Islands Forum says Pacific leaders need to sit up and pay closer attention to AUKUS and the Indo-Pacific strategy and China’s response to them. Speaking from Port Moresby in Papua New Guinea, Dame Meg Taylor said Pacific leaders were being sidelined ...
The government says it should have details on which weather-hit areas are high risk within three weeks, and can then make decisions about rebuilding. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Carly Tozer, Senior Research Scientist, CSIRO Dean Lewins/AAPLa Niña and El Niño are well-known terms in Australia these days. Linked to them are certain expectations: we expect wet conditions in La Niña and dry conditions in El Niño. These ...
Promoters say The Game has pulled out of his upcoming appearance at two legs of a new New Zealand hip-hop festival, continuing the Compton rapper’s sketchy attendance record in Aotearoa. In an announcement made on Facebook today, promoters Room Service say The Game, real name Jayceon Taylor, has “last-minute commitments” ...
Counter-protests are planned for this weekend as a controversial anti-trans campaigner speaks in two New Zealand cities. Kellie-Jay Keen-Minshull will be allowed into the country after Immigration NZ said the threshold to stop her had not been reached. In a tweet, Rainbow Greens, the group that released an open letter ...
We asked workers at some of our favourite food establishments to show us what they eat when the rush is over.This is an excerpt from our weekly food newsletter The Boil Up. Last week was Work Week on The Spinoff, dedicated to unpacking our relationship with the world ...
Analysis by Dr Bryce Edwards. Political Roundup: Who will drain Wellington’s lobbying swamp? Wealthy vested interests have an oversized influence on political decisions in New Zealand. Partly that’s due to their use of corporate lobbyists. Fortunately, the influence lobbyists can have on decisions made by politicians is currently under scrutiny in ...
65 percent of Kiwis surveyed admit they would have no idea what to do if their identity was stolen Norton, a leading consumer Cyber Safety brand of Gen, today announced the New Zealand launch of Norton™ 360 Platinum, which leverages the company's ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Claire Breen, Professor of Law, University of Waikato Getty Images There might have been pragmatic political reasons behind the government throwing voting-age legislation onto its recent policy bonfire, but it remains a sadly wasted opportunity. The announcement reversed former ...
ANALYSIS:By Bevin Veale, Massey University The impending arrival of Kelly-Jean Keen-Minshull — aka Posie Parker — has put the spotlight on the tension between free speech and protecting vulnerable communities in Aotearoa New Zealand. In particular, it raises questions about Immigration New Zealand’s role in limiting who can visit ...
Wairoa has ready-to-go projects that could be accelerated to quickly get people back into homes following Cyclone Gabrielle, Minister Willie Jackson was told on a visit to Wairoa today. Tātau Tātau o Te Wairoa is seeking a Government commitment ...
A new report published by the New Zealand Taxpayers’ Union exposes the bad decision-making that led to a 61% cost blowout in Auckland’s City Rail Link and shows that the costs of the project now significantly outweigh any benefits. ‘The City Rail Link: ...
Immigration NZ has today confirmed that the controversial anti-trans campaigner Kellie-Jay Keen-Minshull will be allowed into New Zealand for her speaking events this week. You can read our report here – and the full statement from Immigration NZ’s Richard Owen to the media is below: “I can confirm that ...
Immigration NZ says it knows some people will be unhappy, but ultimately the threshold to bar Kellie-Jay Keen-Minshull from New Zealand hasn’t been reached.The British anti-transgender campaigner Kellie-Jay Keen-Minshull, also known as Posie Parker, will be allowed into New Zealand this weekend, Immigration NZ has confirmed.Keen-Minshull’s ability to ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Mark Stevens, Adjunct Associate Professor, University of Adelaide Antarctica is an icy place today, but the ice extended even further during past ice ages. The question of how and where life survived on land in the icy continent, through the ages, has ...
Like a Tongan Cool Runnings, with trumpets instead of bobsleds, Red, White & Brass is a feel-good movie based on an incredible true story. First-time film producer Halaifonua Finau tells Sela Jane Hopgood how he got it made.In 2016, promising new Tongan producer Halaifonua Finau was sitting in the ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ben Thomas Gleeson, Doctoral Candidate, Australian National University Luz Rovira / Flickr, CC BY-NC-ND In the 19th century, Charles Darwin was one of the first to notice something interesting about domesticated animals: different species often developed similar changes when compared ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Katharine Kemp, Senior Lecturer, Faculty of Law & Justice, UNSW Sydney New research reveals serious privacy flaws in fertility apps used by Australian consumers – emphasising the need for urgent reform of the Privacy Act. Fertility apps provide a number ...
The Fiji Times “The University of the South Pacific (USP) has been and continues to be a bedrock for regionalism. A resource owned by the region; for the region and a precious institution that needs to be protected in line with the vision of our forebearers.” This was the message ...
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Can’t understand why they’ve never given Ellis a pardon – it’s pretty clear it was a gross miscarriage of justice and he’s made it fairly clear that it’s not about liability he just wants his name cleared.
Higherstandard, if you’re wanting some deeper insights into the reasons why Peter Ellis has not been pardoned, I would strongly recommend you have a read of Lynley Hood’s dissection of the Ellis case (if you haven’t already). But very broadly, the obstacles to a pardon are:
(a) lots of people connected with the case (Judges, lawyers, QC’s, psychologists, politicians and many other people of high standing) will be made to look like fools if Ellis is pardoned. Many of these people have staked a reasonable amount of their professional reputations on their conduct during the Ellis case;
(b) although Ellis is undoubtedly innocent, child sexual abuse is political dynamite, and politicians don’t like pardoning those convicted of such crimes, even if they are innocent. Few crimes have the capacity to excite public anger like child sexual abuse, and the government may be concerned that the act of pardoning Ellis may be interpreted by at least some of the electorate that the government is going “soft” on child sexual abusers;
(c) if Ellis is pardoned, our criminal justice system will have to face a raft of uncomfortable questions. Hood was able to prove that not only is Ellis innocent, but that the alleged “crimes” at the Christchurch Civic Creche never took place. Ellis would have had to defy to laws of physics in order to commit the crimes he now stands convicted of. A properly functioning criminal justice system should have been able to pick up on this fact and acquit Ellis as a matter of course. The fact that this did not happen suggests something has gone seriously awry in our criminal justice system. An official inquiry of some sort would almost certainly take place, and it may reveal a number of ugly and unpalatable truths that the present government doesn’t need in light of such issues as the Christchurch rebuild, the economy, etc.
There are other factors at play too, but in the interests of brevity I’ll stop here.
Where does Luanne Dalziel figure in this?
I heard she was a strong voice in Labour Cabinet against any inquiry?
Christchurch-based Leanne Dalziel, who was a member of the Justice and Electoral Committee when it was considering the Brash petition, has always been of the view that Ellis was guilty (who knows, she may have changed her mind). However, in fairness to Dalziel, it should be noted that she did exempt herself from all of the Committee’s considerations of the Ellis petition. I do not know what influence (if any) her views on this case may have had on the Labour caucus.
As far as I’m concerned all three of those points are positives, but then again, I actually care that those convicted of any offense are genuinely the people who did the deed.
As it took her three years to crush her first car. I wouldn’t hold your breath.
More likely to win a bet that rather than attempting to drag her heels to walk the talk, she would sooner squawk like cock 😉
Not only does he need a pardon but he needs full compensation as well.
the shits that dragooned him need to be flogged in public as well.
the shits that dragooned him need to be flogged in public as well.
I well remember the interview with a bunch of hysterical mothers whose almost incoherent venom knew no bounds. Even at the time they reminded me of the women who sat knitting in front of the guillotine shouting the French equivalent of “off with their heads” or some such. It was the first indication to me that something with that case against Ellis was badly wrong.
I think it is a disgrace that so many Ministers have avoided doing the right thing by Peter Ellis.
Look at the Paper by Ross Francis of Wellington for the Law Society Journal, Nov 2007, showing new evidence.
randal – yes I agree.
I will be watching closely as iIdo not think that man should ever have been accused of doing harm to any child.
The policeman heading the investigation was a born again as well as the mother who initally made the complaint. Just goes to show how dangerous these cults of born agains can be on our society,
But when have you know the police to come out and say we got it wrong, the funny thing is though the police then expect us to have complete faith in their ability to uphold the law in a honest and just way.
Indeed Maggie May; those born agains you refer to are almost as dangerous a cult as those wolverines who devoured Peter Ellis after children were enticed into making allegations which could not be proven, simply because the events in question didn’t actually happen.
There are idiot Christians, idiot agnostics, idiot Muslims and idiot atheists. Don’t tar everyone with the same brush.
I would far rather see Peter Ellis pardoned and compensated than a single penny awarded to David Bain who should, in my opinion, be satisfied with an acquittal that was against the weight of evidence..
Be careful there, Iv2, Joe Karam might sue you 🙂
I chose my words very carefully Millsy…
One of the things in common in most of these “child abuse” cases has been the presence of fundimentalist Christians as part of the investigation team, either in the Police or among the Social workers. Particularly in the so called “Satanic” abuse variants. There was a book, I think called “Satanic Panic” which looked into this aspect of sveral overseas cases.
The police never convicted him Maggie. And take your religious bigotry elsewhere.
Having said all that, of course he should be pardoned. I feel very sorry for him and all that he has had to endure. This is certainly a blight on our country.
A sorry story and one that should now be sorted with a pardon for Ellis.
Now, can someone please explain the political shennanigans that prevented Labour doing the decent thing years ago?
Collins must act or be regarded as no better than her sorry predecessors.
Hi Grumpy – up above you’ll see a reply I made to Higherstandard which outlines some of the factors preventing Ellis from being pardoned. In terms of the political shenanigans that led to Phil Goff (the then Minister for Justice) fluffing this issue, the brief history goes something like this:
Upon becoming Minister for Justice, Phil Goff, who apparently had concerns about the Ellis case, directed Justice Eichelbaum to do a review. Justice Eichelbaum reported back that he had no concerns about the convictions, and that, as Goff made clear, the case for Ellis’ innocence fell short “by a distinct margin”. Eichelbaum’s report was subsequently criticised by many, including a Dunedin author by the name of Lynley Hood.
Lynley Hood’s book A City Possessed was released in 2001. It received almost unanimous critical acclaim from lawyers, academics and other learned authors. It sold very well for a 700 page hardback and won a few literary awards. As a result of the book’s success and widespread acclaim, Goff came under pressure to consider a pardon. Goff responded by asking Val Sim at the Ministry of Justice to assess Hood’s book and the allegations contained within it.
Val Sim produced a virtual hatchet job on Hood’s book. Despite the fact that Hood’s book had been almost universally praised, Sim dismissed the book out of hand. Had Sim at least conceded that Hood’s book raised some significant issues, Sim’s report would have been more compelling, but by dismissing it in total, I can’t help but speculate that Goff may have said to Sim “get this woman and this book off my back!”
Not willing to admit defeat, Don Brash then submitted a petition to Parliament asking that Ellis be pardoned. That petition was considered by the Justice and Electoral Committee. Their report on the petition was bizarre. The Committee was of the view that there was no miscarriage of justice in the Ellis case, but nonetheless they said they were “concerned” at the operation of a number of sections in the Evidence Act.
That simply astonished me. You think Ellis is guilty, yet you’re seriously concerned that the sections used to secure his convictions are faulty? How can they justify that? It’s a bit like saying: “We have heard concerns that fires can cause burns. Having considered the matter, we do not agree, but we nonetheless recommend that people stay as far away as possible from fires”.
Goff also dodged the petition on the grounds that Ellis supporters had not been able to present “any new evidence” for consideration. But this was a red herring. The point of the petition was not that there was any new evidence, the concerns were how the existing evidence was interpreted at the time. But Goff was not interested. As per the “factors” in my response above, there was too much riding on the Ellis case, and Goff did not want to open a can of worms.
Hey well here’s the perfect answer then: pardon Ellis posthumously, after everyone else involved with the fuck up that was the investigation, court case and subsequent reviews has also died.
Thanks for your learned inputs, Prefab Spout.
I followed the Ellis case very closely at the time and during the subsequent appeals etc. including reading (thanks to the net) material that was suppressed.
IIRC, there were two MPs (who are still MPs – one Labour and one National) who had/have personal relationships with parents of children at the creche at the time. Hence, IMO and that of others, the reluctance of both major parties to support indepth investigations, the revelation of new evidence etc. Being a cynic, I strongly doubt that Collins or the current National govt (or Labour opposition) will change their previous stance due to the high listings of both MPs concerned.
These lucid and obviously informed comments Prefab are much appreciated. Frankly the whole affair reflects very badly on NZ’s Court system and has undermined confidence in it rather badly. Everyone knows Ellis is innocent of the crimes he’s convicted of, yet the system cannot bring itself to rectify it’s own mistake. That is very, very concerning.
One question. I can accept that various Ministers, Goff being one of them, have fluffed this badly. There is a pattern of Ministers of Justice being reluctant to intervene where intervention was clearly needed. Why?
Have they been constrained by the convention that our political and judicial arms of government should avoid directly meddling in each other’s operational sphere? Has this sense of not wanting to ‘piddle on each other’s patch’ led to successive Ministers acting to avoid embarrassing some very senior members of the legal fraternity in an entirely unwarranted manner?
Val Sim produced a virtual hatchet job on Hood’s book.
There was another high-profile attempt at a hatchet job by the Prime Minister’s poisonous “media adviser”….
TV1 9:35p.m., Saturday 16 August, 2003
“Edwards at Large” Transcript—-Presenter Brian Edwards
Segment with Lynley Hood
http://www.peterellis.org.nz/docs/2003/HoodComplaint/2003-0816_TV1_BrianEdwardsWithLynleyHood.htm
BRIAN EDWARDS: In recent months there appears to have been a ground swell of public support for a further review of the conviction of Peter Ellis for the sexual abuse of children in his care at the Christchurch Civic Creche. There can be little doubt that much of the impetus for this ground swell including the petition calling for a Royal Commission to look into the case has come from Lynley Hood whose almost 700 page book, A City Possessed, critically examined the evidence presented at Ellis’s trial and the conduct of the subsequent appeals and the inquiry by Sir Thomas Eichelbaum. Well, Hood has received no less than three Montana awards for A City Possessed and a Doctorate in Literature from Otago University for it and her previous books on Sylvia Ashton-Warner and Minnie Dean. Could she, nonetheless, have got it wrong? …
http://www.peterellis.org.nz/docs/2003/HoodComplaint/2003-0816_TV1_BrianEdwardsWithLynleyHood.htm
[Edited. Please don’t duplicate vast screeds verbatim in comments. Post extracts and links. — r0b]
cutting to the chase it is clear that Ellis was framed by idiots.
?
idiots with an agenda and a know it all attitude.
With you all the way here CV.
What will it take for justice to be done – Collins?
Well done prefab sprout, clear logical explanations. Hard to credit that this discussion is courtesy The Standard, but well done for raising this most scandalous festering boil on the N Z justice system”s bum
As per the “factors” in my response above, there was too much riding on the Ellis case, and Goff did not want to open a can of worms.
Yes, in a nut shell. Mind you I think the same would have happened had it been a Nat. govt. Not only would it have caused a few of their ‘establishment mates in high places’ to be publicly embarrassed, there is always the desire (be it a Nat. or Lab. led govt.) to side step any issue that might culminate in millions of dollars in compensation. It would set a precedent for every Tom, Dick or Harry who was incarcerated for a crime they didn’t commit.
Can’t have that!
That act of gutlessness by Goff should hopefully cause him eternal shame.
It should but it probably won’t (being hes a politician) but then if National do nothing then they’re as bad as Labour
Justice Minister Phil Goff reportedly does not intend to read ‘A City Possessed’
I will not read that book by Hood
I will not, will not, say it’s good
I will just say the courts are right
I do not want to see the light
I will not read about that case
I am scared of losing face
I will not read it fast or slow
I want to keep the status quo
I will not read it, so I say
I wish that book would go away
I will not read that woman’s book
I will not even take a look
I will not read it, not a bit
In case I have to act on it
by David Hood
Be warned Collins this could be said about you 😉
Credit where it’s due chris… that’s rather good. His handling of the Ellis affair was not one of Goff’s finer moments.
so good in fact that I’m going to track down the book and read it
Chris – should be a copy in your public library, although I was led to believe that some “Librarians” never actually put it on the shelves when published, or was recorded as “out” when requested.
You should read the Eichelbaum report but remember it was actually written by Val Sim, whose “view” it represented. Eichelbaum was ill at the time, but it was published in his name.
Ahh I won’t be able to get that far into it (short attention and all) but it always did surprise how he got convicted rather then the ins and outs of why he was convictedI guess I’m more interested in the motivations of the people who got him convicted like the parents…
ACC payments were a strong possible motivation.
and paranoid homophobia. Yes, a redundancy, but one to emphasise the foaming-at-the-mouth mentality at the time
Its interesting though that the (admittidly small) snippets I’ve read seem to indicate that rapid homophobia and man-hating feminism seemed to be both at play here… proof that the left and right can work together
Yes, Ellis’ only crime, from where I’m sitting, is to be a bisexual/homosexual male who worked in a child care centre – as part of his community service for being over paid for the UB – from what I read.
The poor guy really had no hope. An accusation was almost guaranteed.
Garrick Tremain certainly got stuck into Goff over this:
http://www.peterellis.org.nz/2003/index_b.htm
http://www.peterellis.org.nz/2003/index_c.htm
I like this one as it has strong elements of british farce in it:
http://www.peterellis.org.nz/2003/index_d.htm
I would like to be able to congratulate Judith Collins on something for once, but we’ll see…
And Don Brash too… sheesh
Don Brash, at the very least, had honesty. When he talked about cannabis you could tell it was something he believed in rather then just for votes.
Not saying everything he talked about was right (and I’ll be the first to admit I got it way wrong when he came back) but at least he believed in it.
NZs most honest politician?
poor old donny brash.
he reached the limit of his expertise when he put his signature on the $1 note and then allowed inflation to drive one dollar notes out of existence.
!!!!!!!!
other than that he knew how to count baloney!
“Everyone” doesn’t know Ellis is innocent. I for one don’t believe he is, even though he may have now convinced himself he is. The judge’s sentencing notes give warning of people wanting to believe otherwise, ignoring the weight of evidence. Yes, there were extreme statements that were not put to the jury, which might have raised questions as to credibility of evidence, but that was because the prosecution judged that they were unsound because of probelms that might have crept on on the second or third interview of young children by people who did not know how to do it. The first interviews were enough to convict, without what might be construed as “leading”.
Lynley Hood’s book was not universally praised, and her subsequent hatchet job of the Unfortunate Experiment, and her lame defence when that was clinically refuted by people who knew stuff, indicates Hood is not the genius investigator people seem to think she is.
And what “hatchet job” would that be? Are you sure you’re not confusing Lynley Hood with Linda Bryder, who did write a (subsequently refuted) hatchet job on the Cartwright Inquiry?
Adam seems so sure of himself how could he have made a mistake that simple eh.
Pleased to someone responding to the drivel above, Adam.
Ellis is guilty. Those of us who know the kids and were actually at the trial know that. Everyone else is basing their opinions on media coverage and Hood’s book. Hood had no intention of writing a balanced investigation, she went into the book with the agenda of “proving” a miscarriage of justice and was supported by the usual misinformed media hysteria that accompany this sort of thing. The most revealing interview with Hood was on a small local TV station when she was asked “what about the kids? The – now adults – who still say he abused them?” She laughed and basically refused to answer the question.
Ellis is guilty. He’s done his time and should shut the f^*k up.
So which of Hood’s criticisms are factually wrong, in your opinion.
Ron – many of the children who said they were abused by Ellis at the High Court trial have since retracted their allegations … not least the oldest child who was the only one to make any coherent allegations against Ellis.
I would strongly recommend that you at least read the first chapter of Hood’s book. That chapter deals with her overall approach to this case and the reasons why she did not contact the children.
And have you ever asked yourself why Ellis has not, as you say, shut the f**k up? The vast majority of convicted pedophiles strongly protest their innocence in Court, but nonetheless slink off into the shadows after they have been convicted. Ellis is our most notorious pedophile, and yet he refuses to let this matter rest. Why is he still protesting his innocence after so many years? Could it be because he actually is innocent?
PreFab
“Many”? The complainants (and several victims who weren’t complainants) have come under enormous pressure from the media and their lackies and I don’t blame them for recanting. Some left the country. Others have changed their name.
Have read the book and spoken directly to Hood. Hasn’t changed my view because I know the victims and I was at the trial. She bought her own conspiracy theory and then went out to sell it.
I don’t know why Ellis continues to maintain his innocence.
The only scandal here is that so many otherwise intelligent people have bought the apologist line and continue the abuse of those kids..
Those kids were abused. He is guilty.
So which of Hood’s criticisms are factually wrong, in your opinion.
You are clueless, Ron.
Adam – I don’t think anybody is suggesting that Hood is a “genius investigator” and I cannot speak for what you consider to be her “hatchet job” on the Unfortunate Experiment. But I think it is significant to note that A City Possessed was almost universally praised by a significant number of scholars, academics, medical practitioners and psychologists. That suggests to me that Hood had got quite a few things right in her analysis of the Civic Creche case, and that the conclusions in her book cannot be dismissed lightly.
You’re right. Apologies there. Hood’s other books are about Sylvia Ashton Warner and Minnie Dean.
In these kind of cases, the hardest thing can be the children getting someone to believe.
Having actually been in the premises where the Christchurch Civic Creche was, I am absolutely certain that Ellis is innocent. The premises are extremely open-plan. I think it is very sad that some children were so brainwashed by leading questions that they still retain false memories.