Commissioner has Kerikeri School reins

Chris Saunders

A commissioner has been appointed to run Northland's biggest primary school after five parents on the board of trustees resigned.

Kerikeri Primary School was placed under the control of commissioner Chris Saunders last Friday after the area manager of the Ministry of Education was advised of the board's decision.

On receipt of their resignation the Minister of Education placed the school under statutory intervention. No one at the school would comment on the appointment yesterday.

Parents and caregivers were told about the changes to the school governance last week through a delivered notice.

"My role will be to provide governance for the school until such time as it is decided that normal governance can be reinstated," Mr Saunders said in the notice.

"The measures being taken by the minister should have little effect on the day to day activities of the school and your children can expect to receive a continuation of a high standard of classroom teaching."

Mr Saunders said for people who had questions or wanted clarification on the developments there was a meeting to be held in the school hall today at 2pm.

Being a school commissioner in Northland is not foreign to Mr Saunders.

He replaced the board of trustees at Kaitaia's Abundant Life School early last year. He also filled the role of commissioner at both Whangaroa and Northland Colleges when they struck trouble.

Chairman of the Kerikeri Primary School Board of Trustees Rob Drummond said he was unable to comment about the reasons why the board members had resigned.

He hoped the commissioner would be able to answer questions from concerned parents at today's public meeting.

Kerikeri Primary School has a roll of about 520 students. The school's principal Paul Lindsay was on extended leave and had not been at the school for most of the school year.