The survivor of abuses wants the sculpture of John Middledith to be removed from Dundedin Hospital

WARNING: This story deals with sexual abuse of children.

A woman who claims that she has been sexually abused as a child by a well -known New Zealand artist wants one of her sculptures from Dundedin Hospital.

Grandma – who does not want to be called – asked for te te southern not to move the John Middleditch’s water sculpture from 1980 to the new hospital.

In 2012, she asked the Health Council of the District at that time to remove the great feature of water, but when she said that Middleditch art counselor was convicted of aggression on children in the 1970s, the woman was told she has no No proof.

“My complaints and requests have been ignored.”

In December, supported by his case manager of sensitive claims, the woman made an official complaint to the police that Middleditch had sexually abused her at 11 in 1972.

Police confirmed RNZ that Middleditch was convicted in a case unrelated in December 1976, for the indecent aggression of a girl between the ages of 12 and 16 and other indecent attacks.

The woman found newspapers and reports in Otago Daily Times From the same month who showed that Middleditch was convicted of seven charges of indecent aggression of girls between the eight and 11 years old and one of the test to indecently assault a girl.

The report said that these attacks took place over a five -month period, while the girls attended art courses at Middleditch’s Home.

Despite the fact that he noticed that Middleditch was renowned in the community, the article was buried on the court page at a time when the independent sculptor wrote art reviews.

The court took sympathy on Middleditch after his lawyer claimed that he did not physically hurt any of the girls and suffered “a medical problem”, which the magistrate said he helped explain how “everything appeared”.

According to the report, through his lawyer Middleditch, he expressed regret for the court and the public, but the woman stressed that she never apologized to her victims.

The magistrate noted such an offense “committed by people in a position of trust with young children”, usually led a prison sentence, but said because of Middleditch’s age and “health”, a fine It was more appropriate.

The 70-year-old was fined $ 800 and was forced to pay $ 40 in court costs before continuing his career as a sculptor and artist recognized at international level.

The water fountain of the Dundin Hospital was ordered shortly and installed in 1980, and in 1982 Middleditch was one of the two beneficiaries of an Academy of Fine Arts in New Zealand, before over 200 other artists.

Another of his sculptures made in 1969 is exhibited at the University of Otago.

The woman said she did not know about Middleditch’s convictions until the early 1930s, during the time she made an ACC and had counseling, and found articles in the newspaper only after recently searched the Hocken library.

She said that Middleditch, who died in 1987 in Hastings, broke her life.

The woman was a student at the Normal Tahuna Intermediate School when Her Professor Robin Bain invited her to Middleditch to class To select a student to participate in children’s art courses at home, she said.

“He (Middleditch) began to ask me to come to classes early and come home for an additional schooling and then he started to take care of me.

“And then there were two specific occasions of serious aggression. It was certainly a sexual assault.”

When Middleditch selected her for additional art courses, she jumped to chance.

“I idolled him. Art was my life. For a child in my circumstances, this opportunity … meant everything to me.”

The woman said it was no secret that she had a difficult life at home.

“It was devastating because I thought I was chosen for my talent and I wasn’t. I was chosen for my vulnerability and to be exploited.

“This was the beginning of terrible impacts that lasted my entire life.”

The woman was confronted for the first time with the hospital art work after returning to Dundin in 2012 to take care of her brother with disabilities who had a terminal disease.

“It was such a big shock and I had to ovor each time in the hospital and know that this man was celebrated, even though I said DHB about his beliefs.”

She hoped that, making public her story, other victims would come before.

“It is not a huge request not to celebrate people like the sons of the city – in his case, he is one of them – when reality is something completely different.”

She wanted the destroyed or sold art and the income used to prevent sexual abuse.

The woman said the police indicated that she may not have resources to investigate if Middleditch had other victims because she was dead.

“But I am still alive. I understand that there is a very limited resource and I would definitely request the police at national level to give more priority to this work,” she said.

“It is very important and should not be just to say” I’m sorry they are dead, nothing more we can do. “

“If people knew how hard it was to call these things – it is so hard, especially when the pillars of the society lead abuse and who feel very safe that they will not be exposed.”

Middleditch’s art was sold in 2023, and its work was widely exposed in New Zealand and abroad and took place in public galleries and private collections in the United States, France, Western Germany, Australia and New Zealand.

In response to the woman, the director of the Southern Hour Operation Group, Hamish Brown, said that New Zealand health appreciated her feedback and understood the high concerns about the artist’s fund.

“Please make sure we examine the problem carefully and we will answer you in time.”

After RNZ contacted Healthnz for comments, Brown’s personal assistant contacts the woman and arranged a meeting.

In a statement, Brown said he would be inadequate to comment before the meeting.

The lawyer of the national survivor, Louise Nicholas, said he saddened her.

“What the hour must absolutely recognize the damages that this person has committed in 1976 against those children and listening to the survivors, because they bring their trauma and thus have to do what is to be by the survivors.”

He thanked the woman who spoke.

Nicholas said that some people treated an indecent attack on a child as if not serious, but fall in section 132 of the Law on crime – sexual conduct with a child under 12 – and included to do an indecent act on a child.

“What happens if that indecent act is -it happened to your child? Do you think” Oh, it wasn’t much “? No matter the type of sexual crime, the impact is huge.”

She said that many survivors of sexual abuse in the 1970s -80 have never spoken for decades, because children “have not been seen and not heard.”

Nicholas believed that there would be other victims of Middleditch, who probably did not realize the extent of his art.

She said that all the public works of Middleditch should be eliminated.

The director of the University of Otago, David Clark, confirmed that a Middleditch’s 1969 sculpture was located on the Dunedin campus.

He said that the university is “grateful for this problem that was drawn to us.”

“We look at whether the University has other art works of this artist. We will take this problem under attention.”

Where to get help from:

• Do you have to talk? Free call or text 1737 at any time to talk to a trained counselor for any reason.
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• Youth: 0800 376 633 or text 234 or E -mail [email protected].
• What’s the job: 0800 Whatsup / 0800 9428 787. This is free counseling for children from 5 to 19 years.
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• Outline: 0800 688 5463.

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Sexual violence

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