Last week she said the man\u2019s employment ended in July 2025 \u201cfollowing an investigation conducted immediately after we received complaints from other staff members\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cNorth Harbour Hockey takes the welfare and safety of our players incredibly seriously. We offer wellbeing support to anyone in our hockey wh\u0101nau who has concerns.\u201d<\/p>\n
North Harbour Hockey Association CEO Michelle Bentham.<\/p>\n
A Herald investigation last week revealed the worker was now facing three counts of indecent assault, two allegedly involving an underage girl associated with NHHA. <\/p>\n
The other charge relates to Sarah*, who was 16 when he allegedly abused her.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s understood this man\u2019s alleged offending occurred onsite at NHHA\u2019s National Hockey Centre in Rosedale between April and July last year.<\/p>\n
These allegations do not relate to a former Olympian from the club, who separately resigned last month after allegations of inappropriate relationships. <\/p>\n
Sarah claimed that during a meeting mid-last year, Bentham told her the association would not report the other employee\u2019s conduct to authorities.<\/p>\n
\u201cI didn\u2019t expect that to be the response.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey were the ones that hired him at the end of the day, and there should have been a lot more responsibility taken from that point of view.\u201d <\/p>\n
An email Bentham wrote to the teen in August 2025 said: \u201cIf you wish to take the matter to the police, the advice we have received is that you need to do this individually or together but we (NHHA) can\u2019t get involved in the process\u201d.<\/p>\n
Bentham apologised in the email that NHHA could not be \u201cmore helpful\u201d with reporting the matter, but claimed the organisation could not get involved because it might need to provide information to police. <\/p>\n
Sarah said NHHA\u2019s response made her feel \u201calone\u201d and like there was \u201cno one\u201d looking out for her. <\/p>\n
In her view, NHHA had tried to \u201chide the situation\u201d. After the man resigned, she alleges Bentham told her there was \u201cnothing further\u201d the association could do.<\/p>\n
NHHA CEO’s email to one of the complainants. Photo \/ Supplied<\/p>\n
\u201cShe kinda made it seem to me that they weren\u2019t allowed to [report it to police].\u201d <\/p>\n
Sarah said she gained the courage to report the alleged abuse to authorities in August after speaking to her school counsellor, who connected her with sexual violence support charity HELP.<\/p>\n
She told the Herald she felt let down by NHHA.<\/p>\n
\u201cEven if legally they did what they were recommended or were told to, I feel on a human basis they failed everyone involved.\u201d<\/p>\n
Sarah told the Herald she was on medication for her mental health as a result of how her complaint was handled.<\/p>\n
\u2018I\u2019m p***ed off\u2019 <\/p>\n
Sarah\u2019s father told the Herald he was \u201cfuming\u201d that his daughter had to go to police without NHHA\u2019s support.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m p***ed off, I wish I could use a better word, but angry is about it.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey also failed to make any attempt to contact parents or alert the wider hockey community. This is an association built to serve and protect its community, yet that very community has been left entirely in the dark.\u201d<\/p>\n
He felt it should be \u201cillegal\u201d for sports organisations not to alert police when serious complaints involving children were made. <\/p>\n
\u201cHaving my daughter look at me and ask why the adults in charge couldn\u2019t just act like adults infuriates me. While I cannot undo the harm they have caused, I can and will help my daughter and the other young victims get the justice they deserve.\u201d<\/p>\n
He said there had been \u201czero\u201d support from NHHA for his daughter, except offering the standard employee assistance programme.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe young group that were affected in this scenario should never have been put in the positions they were put in.\u201d <\/p>\n
A Facebook post shared by NHHA on Thursday, after enquiries from the Herald, caused \u201cso much damage\u201d to his daughter, the father said.<\/p>\n
On Saturday, the father filed a complaint with the Sports Integrity Commission (SIC). <\/p>\n
His complaint alleges there was a \u201csevere child safety failure and subsequent governance breach\u201d by NHHA leaders. <\/p>\n
The father called on the SIC to conduct an independent investigation into the NHHA\u2019s refusal to make a police complaint regarding the worker\u2019s alleged crimes and the alleged governance failures.<\/p>\n
His message to NHHA leadership was: \u201cI hope you read this and honestly review your actions from a human perspective – and, in particular, from a young person\u2019s perspective. <\/p>\n
\u201cGo look at your own children and your own families, and ask yourselves honestly if this was truly the best you could do.\u201d<\/p>\n
Katie Harris is an Auckland-based journalist who covers issues such as sexual assault, workplace misconduct, media, crime and justice. She joined the Herald in 2020.<\/p>\n