Auckland principal at school which hired rapist remains on leave as year ends

An Auckland school has ended its classes for the year with an investigation into a controversial hire yet to be resolved.

The principal went on leave in September after it was reported that the school had hired a relative of hers who had previously admitted to sexually assaulting two young women.

The school appointed a barrister to investigate the employment process, and the lawyer was expected to complete their inquiry early in Term 4.

However, the board said the process had taken longer than expected.

In an email to parents this week, the board chair said a draft report had been completed and given to interested parties, who would give feedback before a final report was produced.

The final report was expected next week. The chair said any response to its findings would be taken immediately, but that might now take place during the school holidays.

The principal, who has been on leave for three months, has not responded to a request for comment.

Ministry of Education documents released under the Official Information Act show she was aware of the accusations against her relative when he applied for a job at the school.

He had admitted to raping one young woman and sexually violating another while he was aged between 14 and 17.

When asked by the ministry about the teacher aide, the principal told them he had been hired through normal processes, including a police vet, risk assessment, and reference checking.

It is understood that the police vet highlighted the young man’s background, but the school hired him regardless.

Police declined to release the vetting documents to the Herald, citing privacy grounds.

The school has previously said there was no conflict of interest because the principal was not involved in the employment process.

Ministry correspondence showed that ministry officials first became aware of the issue when they were contacted by media on September 4.

In conversations with the school over the following days, it sought reassurances about the hiring process and the systems that were in place for the teacher aide. It was told that he was supervised by class teachers and was never alone with students (parents have challenged this, saying he was seen unsupervised during school trips).

On September 14, the teacher aide’s background was revealed in a media report and he resigned later in the day.

Ministry documents show that the same day, the principal flew to Australia. The reason for the trip is not specified.

The ministry told her to return to New Zealand as soon as possible.

The following week, parents confronted the school board at a public meeting and urged the school to suspend the principal while the matter was investigated.

The board then began the independent investigation and it was later revealed that the principal had not returned to school. An acting principal has been appointed while she is on leave.

The school’s handling of the case angered some parents and people in the community.

A small protest was held outside the school soon after the case became public. Parents passed out copies of media articles to passersby.

Some people with knowledge of the case have taken matters into their own hands.

A video posted on social media includes a picture and the name of the teacher aide, alongside details of the case. It has been viewed more than 100,000 times, according to the social media platform.

In a letter to parents, the board said it has been trying to have the viral video removed. It is currently still online.