Mazengarb Report
Encyclopedia
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
's history: the 22 June 1954 Parker-Hulme murder
Parker-Hulme murder
The Parker-Hulme Murder was a murder and subsequent court case that occurred in Christchurch, New Zealand in 1954, achieving notoriety because a mother was murdered by two teenage girls: her daughter and her daughter's best friend...
(subject of the 1994 Peter Jackson
Peter Jackson
Sir Peter Robert Jackson, KNZM is a New Zealand film director, producer, actor, and screenwriter, known for his The Lord of the Rings film trilogy , adapted from the novel by J. R. R...
film Heavenly Creatures
Heavenly Creatures
Heavenly Creatures is a 1994 film directed by Peter Jackson, from a screenplay he co-wrote with his wife Fran Walsh, about the notorious 1954 Parker-Hulme murder case in Christchurch, New Zealand. Filmed on location in Christchurch, it features Melanie Lynskey and Kate Winslet in their screen debuts...
) and the 20 June 1954 "Petone incident". The report gained its name from the inquiry chairman, Queen's Counsel
Queen's Counsel
Queen's Counsel , known as King's Counsel during the reign of a male sovereign, are lawyers appointed by letters patent to be one of Her [or His] Majesty's Counsel learned in the law...
Oswald Mazengarb
Oswald Chettle Mazengarb
Oswald Chettle Mazengarb was a New Zealand barrister. His other well-known public appointment was in 1954, by the National government of the time, to chair the Special Committee on Moral Delinquency in Children and Adolescents, otherwise better known as the Mazengarb Report.Oswald Mazengarb also...
.
The committee
Committee
A committee is a type of small deliberative assembly that is usually intended to remain subordinate to another, larger deliberative assembly—which when organized so that action on committee requires a vote by all its entitled members, is called the "Committee of the Whole"...
, appointed on 23 July 1954, convened and operated rapidly — it reported on 20 September, barely 10 days after it completed hearing evidence, 59 days after its appointment, and 55 days after hearings began. Sociologically speaking, it exemplified a case of moral panic
Moral panic
A moral panic is the intensity of feeling expressed in a population about an issue that appears to threaten the social order. According to Stanley Cohen, author of Folk Devils and Moral Panics and credited creator of the term, a moral panic occurs when "[a] condition, episode, person or group of...
in New Zealand.
The Petone incident
On 20 June 1954, shortly after her mother and stepfather had reported her as missing, a 15½-year-old girl turned up at the local police stationNew Zealand Police
The New Zealand Police is the national police force of New Zealand, responsible for enforcing criminal law, enhancing public safety, maintaining order and keeping the peace throughout New Zealand...
in the Hutt Valley borough
Borough
A borough is an administrative division in various countries. In principle, the term borough designates a self-governing township although, in practice, official use of the term varies widely....
of Petone
Petone
Petone is a major suburb of the city of Lower Hutt in New Zealand. It is located at the southern end of the narrow triangular plain of the Hutt River, on the northern shore of Wellington Harbour...
(since October 1989, a suburb
Suburb
The word suburb mostly refers to a residential area, either existing as part of a city or as a separate residential community within commuting distance of a city . Some suburbs have a degree of administrative autonomy, and most have lower population density than inner city neighborhoods...
of the city of Lower Hutt
Lower Hutt
Lower Hutt is a city in the Wellington region of New Zealand. Its council has adopted the name Hutt City Council, but neither the New Zealand Geographic Board nor the Local Government Act recognise the name Hutt City. This alternative name can lead to confusion, as there are two cities in the...
). The report details from page 11:
She stated that, being unhappy at home with her stepfather, she had[…] been a member of what she called a "Milk BarMilk barMilk bar is a term in some parts of Australia for suburban local shops or general stores. They are known as tuck shops, delicatessens or delis in South Australia and Western Australia, and as corner stores in Queensland and New South Wales...
Gang", which […] met "mostly for sex purposes"; she […] was worried about the future of its younger members, and desired the police to break up the gang.
Shortly after, following a police roundup of some of those named, a moral panic
Moral panic
A moral panic is the intensity of feeling expressed in a population about an issue that appears to threaten the social order. According to Stanley Cohen, author of Folk Devils and Moral Panics and credited creator of the term, a moral panic occurs when "[a] condition, episode, person or group of...
ensued in New Zealand, in which the above incident played no small part among several others, including a milk bar
Milk bar
Milk bar is a term in some parts of Australia for suburban local shops or general stores. They are known as tuck shops, delicatessens or delis in South Australia and Western Australia, and as corner stores in Queensland and New South Wales...
murder
Murder
Murder is the unlawful killing, with malice aforethought, of another human being, and generally this state of mind distinguishes murder from other forms of unlawful homicide...
in Auckland
Auckland
The Auckland metropolitan area , in the North Island of New Zealand, is the largest and most populous urban area in the country with residents, percent of the country's population. Auckland also has the largest Polynesian population of any city in the world...
(which resulted in one of the last executions in New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
.)
The enquiry
A review of New Zealand newspapers of the time, such as Wellington's Evening Post, reveals reports of "youths charged with indecent assault upon, or carnal knowledge of" underage females. Indeed, the enquiry's report notes this occurred "[in] the second week of July 1954".After an outbreak of moral panic
Moral panic
A moral panic is the intensity of feeling expressed in a population about an issue that appears to threaten the social order. According to Stanley Cohen, author of Folk Devils and Moral Panics and credited creator of the term, a moral panic occurs when "[a] condition, episode, person or group of...
among the public and in newspaper media, the Crown
The Crown
The Crown is a corporation sole that in the Commonwealth realms and any provincial or state sub-divisions thereof represents the legal embodiment of governance, whether executive, legislative, or judicial...
appointed the Special Committee on 23 July, and it started its work only four days later, on 27 July. With what some contemporary commentators considered unreasonable alacrity, the Committee began hearing evidence on 3 August in Wellington, completing its hearings in Auckland on 10 September. Barely ten days later, on 20 September, the Committee had reported; Hansard
Hansard
Hansard is the name of the printed transcripts of parliamentary debates in the Westminster system of government. It is named after Thomas Curson Hansard, an early printer and publisher of these transcripts.-Origins:...
records that the responsible cabinet minister had already sent the report to the Government Printer for printing before its actual tabling in Parliament.
Unusually for an enquiry report of that era, the report became, according to Yska (1993) one of the biggest jobs for the Government Printer at the time. Yska even notes that posties
New Zealand Post
New Zealand Post, commonly referred by its acronym, NZPost is a State owned enterprise responsible for providing postal service in New Zealand.-History:...
complained of the weight when carrying out another unusual task: distributing copies of the report to every household in the country.
Conclusions and recommendations
The report came up with 27 conclusions and around 20 recommendations.Conclusions
Among the conclusions (on pages 63 to 66), in summary:- 1 to 4 and 26 dealt with sexual immorality, noting that "immorality has been [organised]", and the unfairness that the authorities could charge boys for indecent conduct, but not girls.
- 5 to 9 urged a tightening of censorshipCensorshipthumb|[[Book burning]] following the [[1973 Chilean coup d'état|1973 coup]] that installed the [[Military government of Chile |Pinochet regime]] in Chile...
-laws. - 10 urged a "closer bond between school and home".
- 11 discounted the contribution that co-educational schools had made to "sexual delinquency".
- 12 urged tighter administration of a school leaving-age of 15.
- 13 recommended notifying school principals of students under government care.
- 14 and 21: "The school is not the proper place for fully instructing children about sex." However, the report characterised schools as good places to "listen to addresses or see appropriate films". It also claimed (21) that police found in many incidents that many youths were either "too ignorant" about sex, or knew too much about it.
- 15 appears to attack the previous LabourNew Zealand Labour PartyThe New Zealand Labour Party is a New Zealand political party. It describes itself as centre-left and socially progressive and has been one of the two primary parties of New Zealand politics since 1935....
government's state-housingState housingState housing is the system of public housing offered to New Zealand residents on low to moderate incomes. Some 66,000 houses are managed by Housing New Zealand Corporation, most of which are owned by the government.-The Liberal Government:...
scheme, recording the belief that "the new housing developments" contained large numbers of young children without the good modelling of older people and organisations. Similarly, 16 says that despite community-groups doing their best, "facilities for recreation and entertainment will not cure juvenile delinquency". - 17 placed some blame on parents' allowing consumption of alcohol at "young people's parties" (without specifying the age of the said young people).
- 18 and 19 noted the opinion that parental neglect left children feeling unloved, something the Committee believed conducive to delinquent acts.
- 20 appears to blame high wages of the time for discouraging the careful use of money (and thus, the Committee concluded, discouraging self-reliance).
- 22 and 23 addressed the state of religionReligionReligion is a collection of cultural systems, belief systems, and worldviews that establishes symbols that relate humanity to spirituality and, sometimes, to moral values. Many religions have narratives, symbols, traditions and sacred histories that are intended to give meaning to life or to...
and of family lifeFamily LifeFamily Life is a magazine published by, and primarily for, the Old Order Amish. The publisher is Pathway Publishers of Aylmer, Ontario, Canada. Unlike some Amish publications, Family Life is printed entirely in English rather than Pennsylvania Dutch or German.The magazine was founded in 1968 and is...
: the "present state of morals in the community has indicated the value of a religious faith" and stated that a decline in family life resulted from a lack of respect for the "worth" of religious and social boundaries. - 24 blamed "new concepts" coming about due to the destabilising effects of world warWorld warA world war is a war affecting the majority of the world's most powerful and populous nations. World wars span multiple countries on multiple continents, with battles fought in multiple theaters....
s, contraceptives, divorceDivorceDivorce is the final termination of a marital union, canceling the legal duties and responsibilities of marriage and dissolving the bonds of matrimony between the parties...
liberalisation and increasing popularity of sexual relations before marriageMarriageMarriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
. - 25 conveyed the unanimous recommendation that minors should not have access to contraceptives.
- 27 urged that the Government take more preventive measures in the field of child welfareChild welfareChild protection is used to describe a set of usually government-run services designed to protect children and young people who are underage and to encourage family stability...
.
Recommendations
The recommendations (pages 66 to 68) covered legislative proposals, administrative suggestions and even "parental example". Highlights included (not a complete list; sorted by subject):- Crime:
- Research: That long-term research into 'all aspects' of juvenile delinquencyJuvenile delinquencyJuvenile delinquency is participation in illegal behavior by minors who fall under a statutory age limit. Most legal systems prescribe specific procedures for dealing with juveniles, such as juvenile detention centers. There are a multitude of different theories on the causes of crime, most if not...
should begin. - Suggested legislative changes: That the legal system should have the ability to charge both girls and boys (implying underage persons) with indecent conduct. Additionally, if children are summonsed, their parents should be similarly compelled to attend court, and that courts should have the power (if the parent's behaviour was said to have "conduced" the child's offending) to order that parents pay fines and court costs and that parents give an assurance of the child's "future good behaviour". (Other sanctions suggested by the Committee included suspending social-securitySocial securitySocial security is primarily a social insurance program providing social protection or protection against socially recognized conditions, including poverty, old age, disability, unemployment and others. Social security may refer to:...
benefits relating to the child.) - PoliceNew Zealand PoliceThe New Zealand Police is the national police force of New Zealand, responsible for enforcing criminal law, enhancing public safety, maintaining order and keeping the peace throughout New Zealand...
: That policewomenPolicewomenPolicewomen is a 1974 exploitation film about a female police officer who infiltrates an all-women criminal gang. The film was written and directed by Lee Frost, and stars Sondra Currie , Tony Young, and Phil Hoover.Despite the fact that the story actually features...
's duties and training should include dealing with 'girls involved in sexual offences'. - Social welfare: That child welfareChild welfareChild protection is used to describe a set of usually government-run services designed to protect children and young people who are underage and to encourage family stability...
should become an autonomous service under the Minister of Social Welfare.
- Research: That long-term research into 'all aspects' of juvenile delinquency
- Censorship:
- Print publications: That tightening of censorshipCensorshipthumb|[[Book burning]] following the [[1973 Chilean coup d'état|1973 coup]] that installed the [[Military government of Chile |Pinochet regime]] in Chile...
laws should occur to take into account "undue emphasis on sex, crime or horror". Additionally, that distributors of print publications be registered, with the spectre of cancellation of this licence to print or distribute should they distribute "objectionable publications" under proposed legislation. - Films and other publications generally: That the film-censorship office within the Department of Internal AffairsDepartment of Internal Affairs (New Zealand)The New Zealand Department of Internal Affairs is a state sector organisation whose roles include the issue of passports; administering citizenship grant applications, and lottery grant applications; enforcement of censorship and gambling law; registration of births, deaths, marriages and civil...
should finish gazetting some regulations as already authorised. Overall, that they and other censorship authorities should liaise regularly to maintain "a uniform interpretation of public opinion and taste". - Radio: That the New Zealand Broadcasting Service make sure the crime must never pay become "more prominently featured" in its radio-dramas, and that a "married woman" be "immediately"' appointed to its "auditioning panel".
- Print publications: That tightening of censorship
- Education:
- Schools: That the Department of EducationDepartment of Education (New Zealand)The New Zealand Department of Education was, pre-1989, the public service department of the New Zealand Government responsible for pre-tertiary education...
consider the best way to deal with "problem pupils in post-primary schools". - Community groups: That the Department of EducationDepartment of Education (New Zealand)The New Zealand Department of Education was, pre-1989, the public service department of the New Zealand Government responsible for pre-tertiary education...
consider allowing "responsible organisations" use of "school grounds and buildings" in areas with "a lack of facilities for recreation and entertainment". - Housing: That the Department of EducationDepartment of Education (New Zealand)The New Zealand Department of Education was, pre-1989, the public service department of the New Zealand Government responsible for pre-tertiary education...
consider requesting the setting aside for schoolteachers of some houses in "housing settlements". - Parental example: That "new laws" and "stricter administration" might "allay the well-founded fears of many parents", but that the risk existed that parents might relax "their own efforts". "Wise parenthood implies firm control and continual interest in the doings of sons and daughters", the Committee advised, but also said that parents' own conduct would be the "best example for the [...] rising generation".
- Schools: That the Department of Education
Follow-up
