Ministry steps in at Auckland school that hired rapist, parents clash with former principal’s supporters at meeting

A statutory manager has been appointed at an Auckland school that hired a rapist who was related to the principal.

It comes after a fiery public meeting in which supporters of the former principal clashed with an advocate for the victims.

The school principal recently resigned after an independent review found shortcomings in the hiring of a teacher aide who was related to her.

An Education Review Office (ERO) review of the board late last year also found “considerable concerns” that the school had not followed its own policies.

That review is not yet publicly available. But the Ministry of Education said on Friday it had appointed a limited statutory manager at the school for a period of six months.

Ministry of Education Hautū (leader) Te Tai Raro (North) Isabel Evans said the ministry always worked with schools to solve their own problems and only intervened as a last resort.

“Where we do step in, an intervention aims to bring expertise and a fresh perspective,” she said.

The statutory manager would be in charge of community relationships and employment, while the board would retain all other functions.

In September, it was reported that the teacher aide, who cannot be named, had previously admitted to raping one young woman and sexually violating another while aged between 14 and 17.

A police vet by the school highlighted the young man’s background, but the school hired him regardless. He resigned when his background was made public.

While the former principal was not directly involved in the hiring process, it was later shown that they were aware of his background.

Some parents also wanted further accountability from the board. One father, who is also a lawyer, threatened legal action against the school and asked for the ministry to intervene.

At a public meeting earlier this month, tensions between a group of parents, the board, and supporters of the principal spilled over.

According to people who were at the meeting, a relative of the former principal allegedly abused and swore at Ruth Money, a victim advocate who is representing the two victims in the case.

The meeting had to be halted, and the altercation continued outside of the school venue where the meeting was held, witnesses said.

The relative of the former principal could not be reached for comment.

A board member said at the meeting that the board had faced intense criticism from a “small noisy subgroup” of parents.

The board member defended the board’s response to the case, saying it found out about the teacher aide’s background when it was published in media reports and that it acted as quickly as it could.

Following the independent investigation by a barrister, the board chair said the review found “certain procedural and legislative requirements were not fully met” when the teacher aide was hired.

The board had reviewed its policies and procedures to ensure best practice in future, the chair said.