Wayne Schache is the Operations and Finance Director at the Baptist National Support Centre and is part of Titirangi Baptist Church in west Auckland.
This update follows on from the 17 December 2024 Call for expressions of interest: Abuse in Care Royal Commission of Inquiry Response Group
On 24 July 2024, the Abuse in Care Royal Commission of Inquiry (ACRCI) released its final report and recommendations. The ACRCI was conducted to listen to and learn from the experiences of people who were abused while in the care of the State or faith-based institutions from 1950–1999. Now, the challenge for churches across New Zealand is to bring about meaningful change in response to the findings of the ACRCI.
The Baptist Union of New Zealand (BUNZ), which is the 240 Baptist churches and faith communities throughout New Zealand, is committed to ensuring that Baptist churches who are part of our union are places where people are safe and treated with dignity and respect. We want to learn all we can from the ACRCI and make the changes we need to make in our context.
The Baptist Union of New Zealand has established an ACRCI Response Group to ensure the action we take is thorough and well informed. This group reports to the National Council of the BUNZ. The Response Group is facilitated by Charlotte Cummings, who is a consultant with specialist skills around the prevention of and response to abuse within churches.
Following a two-month period where expressions of interest were called to be part of the ACRCI Response Group, our National Council ratified this group at their last meeting (20–21 February 2025). We are pleased to announce this group, and thankful for the willingness of each person in this group to be involved:
- Joel Agnew, Christchurch
- Becky Sly, Auckland
- Netta Sititi, South Auckland, and National Council member
- Beth Scott, Christchurch
- Steven Goulstone, Wellington
- Andrew McTear Smith, Tokoroa
- Jaimee van Gemerden, Auckland
- Tanya Lameta, South Auckland
- Daphne Marsden, Christchurch
- Peter Lineham, Auckland
There is a strong desire for a person or people who identify as tangata whenua to be part of this group – please contact Charlotte Cummings: [email protected] if you or someone you know may be able to participate.
The first meeting for this group was Sunday 2 March 2025.
The group is tasked with writing recommendations to the National Council on what a Baptist response to the Abuse in Care Royal Commission of Inquiry might be. It is expected that the group will submit a report with recommendations by the end of June this year.
Please uphold this group and this process in your individual and corporate prayers.
Photo: Tī kōuka, Cabbage tree, by Mike Crudge.
