The alleged offending came to light when one of the children, given the false name Sally to protect her identity, ran away, and a friend’s mother alerted police.
An investigation led police to interview other children who had been in the couple’s care at various stages.
Eighteen of the charges relate to Sally, who referred to the accused as Mum and Dad.
She alleges she was hit with a stick, burnt with a lighter, slapped and punched.
In week two of the trial, the jury heard evidence from two other children, also referred to by false names, who lived with the couple during the same period as Sally.
Jane described a pattern of discipline in the household, stating that it was common for children to be struck on the legs with a stick by the man if they jumped on the couch.
“If we jumped on the top at the kids’ lounge, then we got hit on the leg.”
She clarified that, while the woman rarely hit anyone, the man was primarily responsible for the physical punishment.
“It wasn’t just me,” Jane said.
“All the kids … jumped on the couch, but I did it one time, but then after that I stopped and just started to listen.”
During cross-examination, the man’s lawyer, Chris Muston, suggested that Jane had never been hit by his client.
“He has,” she replied firmly.
Muston then proposed Jane might be confused with other placements she had experienced.
“No,” she responded.
Despite the alleged punishment, Jane said she felt happy in the home and was sad when she was removed from it.
The trial took a break on Thursday and Friday and will resume again next week. Photo / NZME
In a recorded evidential interview, another child, Mark, also expressed sadness about being taken away from the couple and said he missed them.
He confirmed that children who jumped on the couch were hit on the feet with a stick by the man.
“Has anything happened to you?” the interviewer asked the boy.
“No,” he responded.
“How often would they get hit?” she asked.
“Like every day, if they jump around, every day.”
The boy could not confirm whether Sally was hit, but recalled hearing her crying upstairs frequently.
Another Oranga Tamariki caregiver who had Sally’s sister in her care also gave evidence.
After the child returned from a visit to Sally, the caregiver said she was informed of the allegations.
“She’d seen her hit with a vacuum cleaner pipe and restrained and had her finger pulled back,” she told the court.
“Had you personally ever seen Sally?” the Crown asked the woman.
“Only once at the movies. I was pretty sure I saw fear in her face,” she responded.
Under cross-examination by Muston, she was asked why she never reported the allegations.
“I didn’t take any steps because I didn’t want to believe it was true.”
The trial continues on Monday before Judge Greg Davis.
Shannon Pitman is a Whangārei-based reporter for Open Justice covering courts in the Te Tai Tokerau region. She is of Ngāpuhi/ Ngāti Pūkenga descent and has worked in digital media for the past five years. She joined NZME in 2023.