“They have enough going on in their lives without worrying about Big Brother taking more of those finances away.”
Morrissey said the first port of call for schools, or anyone looking to help whānau, should simply be to listen and then identify ways to help.
“That’s where success lies, success does not lie in punishing. It’s not going to help them get their children into school. That’s really sad.”
He said a few Far North schools had pooled their resources to employ a “fantastic” full-time attendance officer who had managed to connect with whānau and get kids back through the doors.
“Central body decisions built on punishing whanau financially will only distance them even further from schools.”
Hukerenui School principal Bastienne Johnston was equally mystified by the approach.
“For us as a sector, we’ve been encouraged to be encouraging and to try to understand why students aren’t coming and see if we can provide support.”
She acknowledged that approach did not always work but it was clear truancy required a multi-pronged one.
“Truancy is aligned to socio-economic struggles and so if people are already struggling, sometimes they don’t have food and they’re too embarrassed to send them to school without food - you’re not going to get the money from them anyway.”
Johnston would prefer to see resourcing placed into truancy officers.
“I have found in a few places where we did put the pressure on hugely, those families moved. They, literally, were there one day and the next when they knew we were coming closer they left.”
She said that had occurred twice in her career.
Seymour says the system would be flexible to every situation and schools would require to apply an attendance management plan for term one of 2026 at the latest.
“The fining will not be automatic or blanket. The Ministry of Education will be looking to prosecute when it’s genuinely a case of adults being obstructive or neglectful rather than facing danger or barriers.
This flexibility allows it to be adaptable to every situation.”
He said if parents follow the law they won’t have to worry about Government intervention.
“The Government is currently evaluating the Attendance Service, including the new attendance officers, who we are holding hui with around the country.”
What does the public think?
The Advocate asked people in central Whangārei last week what they thought – they asked to remain anonymous but shared their views:
Where’s the line?
One Northland mother questioned where the line was when it came to prosecuting or fining parents.
“We’re trusted to care for these children ourselves but when it comes to state schools it’s like they take over.”
“I think every person’s situation is different. You know, it would be understandable if there is no sickness and they’re getting pulled out for holidays, then I kind of see where they may need to step in.”
She questioned where the line was when it came to fining and wondered what the Government would fine parents for next.
She hoped the approach would not be one size fits all.
How will it be judged?
One mother whose child struggles with ongoing health issues said she would expect the Government to work on a case-by-case basis.
“I think if there’s an ongoing thing and very clear truancy then I think there is probably a justification.”
But she questioned how that would be judged.
She also doubted that some families would pay their fines.
Punishing the parents
One Northlander who recently graduated high school said it was the school’s responsibility to keep older students in the doors.
“Why are we punishing the parents, it’s the school that’s responsible for them why isn’t the school getting the blame?”
Regarding primary school-aged children who are frequently absent, she said the situation was different for everyone.
“I knew a girl last year whose parents couldn’t send her to school because they didn’t have money for lunch and they were too embarrassed. So it’s important to have that personal approach.”
“This whole one-size-fits-all thing, it doesn’t apply to every situation and they’re basically just putting a label on the parents, which is ‘bad parents’.”
Brodie Stone is an education and general news reporter at the Advocate. Brodie has spent most of her life in Whangārei and is passionate about delving into issues that matter to Northlanders and beyond.
