Police have prosecuted fewer than one in 10 of the cases referred from the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in Care. However, 93 were closed without prosecution with 47 (42.7%) not meeting the test for prosecution under Solicitor-General's prosecution guidelines. Photo: RNZCooper Legal principal partner Sonja Cooper, whose firm had acted for hundreds of abuse survivors and victims, said she was not surprised by the statistic. The prosecution guidelines should be reviewed, Clearwater said. "Decisions to prosecute should be made in accordance with agency's prosecution policies and the test for prosecution as set out in the guidelines.

Source: Otago Daily Times January 18, 2026 19:23 UTC