Consultation on the proposed name change for Marylands Reserve and Place has now closed.

At their meeting on 11 April, 2024, the Waihoro Spreydon-Cashmere-Heathcote Community Board resolved to change the names to Validation Park and Validation Place. This decision was made in light of the significance of the name change and how this decision affected different parties.

We acknowledge businesses and landowners’ connection to this place. However, in the board’s view the right thing to do was to select the name that was chosen by the survivors for redress. The survivors who presented to the board indicated that their strong preference was Validation. This name spoke to their experiences of being heard and believed about their experiences for the first time. These are detailed in the Royal Commission Report Stolen Lives, Marked Souls which is available online.

We do acknowledge that this has a significant impact on the businesses and landowners. At the Community Board meeting, the survivor group asked for their gratitude and thanks to be passed on to those who’s addresses would change.

You can read the meeting minutes which include the formal resolutions.

Minutes of Community Board decision meeting

You can also watch the decision being made, which includes a deputation from the survivors group.

Recording of Community Board decision meeting

The name changes will come into effect 4 June 2024.

Marylands School was a residential school for boys, many with disabilities, learning or behavioural needs, located in Middleton (in the vicinity of the Reserve) before it later moved to Halswell in the mid 1960s. Typically, boys were sent to Marylands School in the belief it was the best place for them, where their care and learning needs would be met under the protection of the Catholic Church. Instead, many suffered extreme abuse and neglect at the hands of those entrusted to protect them. Survivors’ early experiences at Marylands School have had a profound impact on their lives.

The current names serve as a reminder of abuse and hold traumatic associations for survivors. There are limited circumstances where the Council would consider renaming a road, but in this context there is a clear case for change. Renaming Marylands Reserve and Marylands Place acknowledges survivor experiences, the abuse inflicted upon them, and their wishes for change as part of the wider road to puretumu torowhānui / redress.

If you are interested in reading more about the experiences of survivors, the Abuse in Care Royal Commission of Inquiry released a case study into the St John of God Brothers who ran Marylands School last year, called ‘Stolen Lives, Marked Souls’. Please note the distressing content warnings if you choose to view the report - stolen-lives-marked-souls.

We met with a small group of Marylands School survivors in October last year to seek their ideas and suggestions for a new name that is appropriate and meaningful for them. The group identified a number of options, and indicated their top three preferences are Validation, Monarch and MSSAT.

*While currently known as a reserve, the future name could include either ‘park’ or ‘reserve’. The options above indicate ‘park’, but please consider this as interchangeable with ‘reserve’ for the purposes of this consultation, as it is yet to be determined which will be used.

We would like to hear which of these options you prefer. Your feedback will help us decide what the new name of the park and street will be. We also consulted with a wider group of survivors on these options in December 2023 and their feedback will be considered alongside that provided by impacted residents and organisations.