Pope Francis has made it clear he expects the Church on every level to implement whatever steps are necessary to ensure the protection of minors and vulnerable adults and to respond to their needs with fairness and mercy.

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Our Diocese acknowledges the lifelong trauma of abuse victims, survivors, and their families.  It also acknowledges the past failure of the Catholic Church to protect, believe and respond justly to children and adults at risk, and the consequent breaches of community trust.

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Our Diocese has adopted and adheres to the National Catholic Safeguarding Standards. The Standards apply to all parishes, ministries, and agencies under the jurisdiction of the Bishop. We continue to strengthen our safeguarding processes to provide a consistent vision to create and foster a secure physical, emotional and spiritual culture in our faith communities, enabling everyone to enjoy the fullness of life in Jesus Christ.

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Clergy, employees and volunteers are committed to upholding the right to safety of all persons and participating in creating a culture of safety. This is supported by policies, practices and procedures that strive to prevent abuse in the first instance and to respond appropriately and effectively if abuse does occur. We respect the human dignity of each person and strive to create a welcoming Church that enables all people to grow and develop their faith freely and in a caring and supportive environment.

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Creating safe environments involves active participation and responsibility taken by all parishes. It requires collaboration, vigilance, and a proactive approach through policies, procedures, and practices.

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The National Safeguarding Guidelines for the Prevention of and Response to Sexual Abuse in the Catholic Church in Aotearoa, New Zealand prescribes the commitment of the Church to have safeguarding measures in place in our organisations.

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The Church takes all complaints of abuse seriously - no matter the nature or perceived severity of the abuse. Where the complaint of abuse appears to be of a criminal nature, we encourage complainants to take the matter to the police, and will support them in doing so. If the alleged abuse is reported to the police, we will not protect the accused/offender from the processes of civil law nor hide the facts from those entitled to know.

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Any person (e.g. child, young person, adult, priest, employee, volunteer) can make a report in relation to current or historical child abuse or child-safety related misconduct.