Whangaroa kura election bid declared 'illegal, invalid'

GOVERNANCE: This public notice in the Advocate last Friday advertised a board of trustees election described as invalid and illegal by the school's commissioner.

An attempt to hold a board of trustees election at a school under Education Ministry intervention has been called "illegal and invalid" by the commissioner in charge.

In June this year the Education Ministry dismissed the board of trustees at Te Kura Kaupapa Maori o Whangaroa and appointed commissioner Larry Forbes to run the school while it investigated complaints about the board's 2013 election.

Mr Forbes had almost completed his report into the disputed election when a public notice appeared in last Friday's Advocate advertising a fresh board of trustees election. The notice called for nominations of five parent representatives and gave September 19 as the closing date for voting.

However, the election was news to Mr Forbes, who said it was "illegal, has no validity and will not be proceeding". The election notice had stirred up a lot of unrest, he said.
He did not want to say who had placed the ad, "but I know where it came from, and it has been dealt to".

A spokeswoman for the ousted board, lawyer Moana Tuwhare, said current parents at the Matauri Bay kura voted unanimously on August 6 for a fresh election. Mr Forbes was not invited to that hui but was asked to follow-up meetings.

Ms Tuwhare said whanau were fed up with the open-ended and uncertain process and felt Mr Forbes was dragging it out.

"All we were trying to do is establish a board so we can return the school to normal governance ... why the commissioner hasn't supported that is beyond me."

The kura had been an educational success story but divisions emerged in 2013 following the dismissal of principal Louisa Mutu. The roll plunged from 103 to about 40 at the start of this year as parents pulled children from the school.

Mr Forbes said he had finished his draft report on the election and circulated it for comment. It was a "collection of information" that made no judgments. People had until September 8 to respond.

The final report would be submitted to the Ministry's legal team, who would decide whether the 2013 election was valid. Depending on their decision the ousted board would be reinstated or a new election would be called.

Meanwhile, Mr Forbes said his work had "by and large" met with good cooperation.
"There have been a few issues, but we'll continue to work through them."

He was also working on a re-enrolment process for parents who wanted their children to return to the kura when possible.

Gary Bramley, a spokesman for parents who withdrew their children, said Mr Forbes' report did a good job of summarising shortcomings in the 2013 election.

"We're grateful he has got to this point despite sustained opposition from the former board, supported by Te Runanganui (the parent body for kura kaupapa in New Zealand) ... We look forward to him continuing in his role and progressing to a new election which is properly run and legal," Dr Bramley said.

Meanwhile, the former board is planning legal action over its dismissal. Ms Tuwhare said an application for a judicial review was due to be lodged in the High Court at Whangarei last week. She hoped it would be heard under urgency.