The Dilworth Trust Board has today announced the appointment of independent distinguished Panellists to determine offers of redress to be made to Dilworth Old Boy survivors of abuse under its independent Dilworth Redress Programme.
Former High Court Judge Dame Judith Potter DNZM CBE will chair the Redress Programme Panel. She is joined by clinical psychologist Professor Ian Lambie ONZM and governance expert Ms Rukumoana Schaafhausen MNZM.
Dame Judith became the first female President of the New Zealand Law Society in 1991. She was appointed to the High Court bench in 1997 and has served the judiciary for 15 years. She continues to serve as a Judge of the Cook Islands High Court.
Professor Lambie is Professor of Clinical Psychology at the University of Auckland. He is a Fellow of the New Zealand Psychological Society and in 2020 he was made an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit for his services to Youth Justice and Clinical Psychology. His clinical work has been predominantly with male survivors of trauma, including sexual abuse.
Ms Schaafhausen practised law before assuming a number of challenging and high profile managerial and governance roles for Iwi, NZ Inc and the Government. In 2022, Ms Schaafhausen, who is of Ngāti Haua descent, was awarded the Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to Māori and the community.
Chairman of the Dilworth Trust Board, Aaron Snodgrass said: “We deeply regret the hurt caused to some of our Old Boys in the past. While redress cannot undo the harm done to Old Boy survivors, the Dilworth Trust Board is committed to providing support to help them heal and move forward with their lives.
“We are grateful that three people of such a high calibre have agreed to serve on the Panel, providing Old Boy survivors seeking redress assurance of the utmost integrity and care.”
Dilworth Redress Programme Terms
The Dilworth Redress Programme Terms, which have been finalised by the Panel and will guide their work, take into account feedback provided by Old Boy survivors and the wider Dilworth community. They are available at www.dilworthresponse.org.nz.
“We appreciate the time taken by all parties to provide thoughtful insights and valuable suggestions via the feedback process. The responses have helped to strengthen the Dilworth Redress Programme and we hope that this programme will contribute to the recovery and healing process for Old Boy survivors,” said Mr Snodgrass.
The Dilworth Redress Programme will launch its website on Monday 29 August and invite Old Boy survivors to register their interest in making an application for redress.
“The confidential Dilworth Redress Programme will be available to any Dilworth Old Boy survivor of sexual or serious physical abuse committed by a Dilworth representative, or in some cases for survivors of sexual abuse committed by another student while at Dilworth. Families of Old Boy survivors who have died can make an application for redress. There is no cost to applicants to register and to make an application for redress,” said Mr Snodgrass.
“The Dilworth Redress Programme is designed to be fair, balanced and responsive to the needs of survivors during their participation in the process. The starting position for the Panel when considering an application for redress is that Old Boy survivors will be believed.”
Mr Snodgrass said the Board would take care to respect the Dilworth Redress Programme Terms, which stress the independence of the Redress Programme, as well as the Independent Inquiry into abuse at Dilworth launched last month. This included the Board refraining from public comment on these issues so that the independent programmes can be as effective as possible.
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Notes to editor
Biographical Notes
Dame Judith Potter DNZM CBE
Former High Court Judge Dame Judith Potter has broken a number of barriers during her judicial career. After graduating from the University of Auckland with a Bachelor of Laws degree in 1965, Dame Judith went on to become a senior partner at law firm, Kensington Swan. She was the first female president of a district law society, the Auckland District Law Society, and then became President of the New Zealand Law Society from 1991-1994.
In March 1997 Dame Judith was appointed a High Court judge. She has held directorships at the Electricity Corporation and the New Zealand Guardian Trust Company, chaired the Broadcasting Standards Authority and was a member of the Securities Commission. She is a member of the Greater Christchurch Claims Resolution Service and was a member of the Fonterra Inquiry Committee into the botulism scare from 2013 to 2015. Dame Judith recently retired as expert lay advisor on the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons’ New Zealand board.
After retiring from the bench in New Zealand in December 2012, Dame Judith became the second woman to serve as a judge of the Cook Islands High Court. She continues to serve as a Judge of the Cook Islands High Court.
Recognition of her service to New Zealand includes receiving the New Zealand 1990 Commemoration Medal in 1990, and in 1993 she was awarded the New Zealand Suffrage Centennial Medal. In 1994 she was awarded the CBE and in 2013, she was appointed a Dame Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to the judiciary and became The Honourable Justice Dame Judith Potter DNZM CBE.
Professor Ian Lambie OMNZ
Professor Ian Lambie has worked as a clinical psychologist for more than 30 years. His experience also includes work within academic settings as well as government organisations, and has received numerous awards for his contributions. Prof Lambie’s career began as a comprehensive nurse in acute psychiatric and surgical nursing, before he gained his clinical psychology registration in 1991.
He is now a Professor of Clinical Psychology at the University of Auckland. Prof Lambie specialises in working with male survivors of trauma, including sexual abuse and was an ACC sensitive claims counsellor providing therapy for adolescent boys and adult men who were survivors of sexual abuse.
Over the course of his career, Prof Lambie has contributed to over 150 journal articles, chapters and reports. In recognition of his long-standing research and clinical work in the field of adolescent sexual offender treatment, the New Zealand Psychological Society awarded him the Public Interest Award in 2001.
In 2011 he was awarded the William Friedrich Memorial Child Sexual Abuse Research and Treatment Award by the American Institute on Violence, Abuse and Trauma, San Diego, California. Since 2016, Prof Lambie has been the Government’s Justice Sector Chief Science Advisor. He has also been on the Board and Clinical Advisory Group of SAFE Network in Auckland and on the Clinical Advisory Group of Youth Horizons Trust.
He is a Fellow of the New Zealand Psychological Society for his services to Psychology in New Zealand and in 2020 he was made an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit for his services to Youth Justice and Clinical Psychology.
Ms Rukumoana Schaafhausen MNZM
Rukumoana Schaafhausen holds a number of challenging and high profile management and governance roles across Iwi, public and private entities in New Zealand. Of Ngāti Haua descent, her professional focus is on enabling sustainable business models that achieve economic outcomes, positive social impact and reduced environmental effects.
Ms Schaafhausen was recently the Chairperson for Waikato-Tainui and currently holds a number of public and private directorships including Contact Energy, AgResearch, Miro Berries Limited, Te Waharoa Investments Limited and Alvarium (NZ) Limited. She also serves as a trustee for the Tindall Foundation and the Princes Trust Aotearoa.
Ms Schaafhausen is a Member of the Institute of Directors. She graduated from Waikato Law School and has practised commercial and property law.
In 2017 she was awarded the Sir Peter Blake Award for leadership and the previous year won the US Embassy Wahine Toa Award. In 2022, Ms Schaafhausen was awarded the Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to Māori and the community.