"[2] Temm went overseas for seven years from 1980 to 1987 and worked in different jobs before returning to New Zealand to pursue a future in the law.
He joined Davys Burton in Rotorua in 1995, becoming a partner and "Senior Crown Counsel" before starting up as a barrister sole specialising in criminal and civil litigation at Phoenix Chambers in 2005.
[3] Temm's practice has been varied, but he has dealt with high-profile criminal cases during his career, including defending Michael Curtis, one of two brothers convicted of the murder of toddler Nia Glassie.
He saw the drivers of child abuse in New Zealand as including:[s]ociety's attitude to alcohol and the freedom of it and the increasing fractured nature of our families and a myriad of other things including drug abuse, mental health issues, financial strain and all of these things ... What happened then is that the fourth Labour government was elected and new right economic theory took sway.
The Roger Douglas market theory was being applied and the statutory monopoly, that used to exist for Plunket and Karitane, was eroded and eventually done away with.
"If you are serious about child abuse in New Zealand, you must pick up the challenge of the pre-school childcare through the health system and a number of other things could be leveraged off that.
With it costing between $50,000 and $100,000 annually to keep someone in jail he asked whether the country is properly dealing with the people in the community if such disorders are not adequately treated.