News | Lower North Island
9 Jan 2026 12:02
| outlook hotmail | yahoo mail | gmail | news | weather | finance | shopping | about nzcity | Search |
NZCity News
NZCity CalculatorReturn to NZCity
SEARCH 

  • Start Page
  • Personalise
    •    News
  • Sport
  • Weather
  • Finance
  • Shopping
  • Jobs
  • Horoscopes
  • Lotto Results
  • Photo Gallery
  • Site Gallery
  • TVNow
  • Dating
  • SearchNZ
  • NZSearch
  • Crime.co.nz
  • RugbyLeague
  • Make Home
  • About NZCity
  • Contact NZCity
  • Your Privacy
  • Advertising
  • Login
  • Join for Free

    •
      Home > News > National > Lower North Island

    A priest has pleaded guilty to abusing five boys at a Feilding boarding school

    A priest has pleaded guilty to abusing five boys at a Feilding boarding school


    Father Michael O'Donnell worked at Hato Paora for nearly three decades.

    He is now the third staff member of the school to be convicted for historical sex crimes against students.

    O'Donnell appeared in the Palmerston North District Court yesterday pleading guilty to a charge of unlawful sexual connection of a male between 12 and 16 years old.

    He'll be sentenced in April.

    © 2026 Newstalk ZB, NZCity

     Other Lower North Island News
     09 Jan: One person has died in an early morning single-car crash south of Napier
     09 Jan: A sweltering weekend's ahead for many parts of the country - and Fire and Emergency's warning the risk of fires and wildfires is high
     08 Jan: More than four million dollars worth of the stupefying drug Fantasy has been seized from a storage container in Wairarapa
     07 Jan: Police are urging drivers to slow down, saying they've seen worrying speeds in the Manawatu region over the past couple of weeks
     07 Jan: Its sixty years today since a tragedy on Lake Taupo claimed the lives of four Wanganui Collegiate students
     06 Jan: Construction's underway on new flood resilience for a road in Hawke's Bay's Omahu
     05 Jan: A call for the urgent return of seven turtles stolen in Hastings
     Top Stories

    RUGBY RUGBY
    Kiwi Ben Robb will be throwing stress-free at the professional darts tour qualifying school in Germany starting overnight More...

    BUSINESS BUSINESS
    Expectations Auckland's housing market will keep heating up this year More...


     Today's News

    		 Entertainment:
    Millie Bobby Brown has been "sworn to secrecy" over her Stranger Things character's ending 11:53

     Entertainment:
    Charles Melton is set to become a dad 11:23

     Law and Order:
    Four people have been arrested after stealing from a North Shore liquor store and boarding a bus to Auckland 11:17

     International:
    Inside Nicolás Maduro's complex network of alleged drug traffickers wanted by the US 11:17

     Accident and Emergency:
    Two men stranded on a drifting jetski off Taranaki Coast - have been rescued 11:06

     Entertainment:
    Joe Jonas has reportedly been dating model Tatiana Gabriela since "the end of" summer 2025 10:53

     Accident and Emergency:
    One person has died in an early morning single-car crash south of Napier 10:46

     Entertainment:
    Hamnet: by centring Anne Hathaway, this sensuous film gives Shakespeare’s world new life 10:36

     National:
    Victoria bushfires at a glance 10:27

     Entertainment:
    Miley Cyrus has called for less competition and more community at awards ceremonies 10:23

     News Search




    Power Search

    © 2026 New Zealand City Ltd