Northland village rocked by scandals

By BRIDGET CARTER

The picturesque rural township of Broadwood - 48km south of Kaitaia - used to have a cinema, a bakery and a much bigger school before many farmers left.

The area now survives primarily on forestry, but is becoming better known for the damaging publicity surrounding the school and its staff.

The latest issue concerns a male teacher and allegations of sexual misconduct involving a female student, 16. The teacher resigned this week.

The school is refusing to talk about the case, and has directed inquiries to a School Trustees Association adviser.

The Ministry of Education believes it is not its job to intervene but says it is watching the situation.

The allegations relate to complaints about diving camps at Taupo Bay, north of Whangaroa - one held this month and another at the end of term three - written by one of the students in a statement to the school.

The student alleges that at both camps the teacher, parent helper and six students, aged between 16 and 18, were drinking. One night the teacher kissed her when the pair were alone. She pulled away and rejoined the others.

She also alleges he asked her if she wanted to make love to him.

At the diving camp two weeks ago, she said he made "unnecessary gestures" towards her before she returned to the campsite with a parent.

A parent-helper at the camp contacted the young woman's family a few days after the second camp. She said that the teacher had been drinking the morning students had to return to school and that she asked another student to drive his car home.

Police are investigating a car accident the teacher had the day he returned from diving camp.

A formal complaint about the teacher was made on November 5. Education officers were contacted.

But the family of the young woman said they were angry it took three days after the complaints were made for the teacher to be removed from the classroom and a week for the board to meet.

In documents given to the family, principal Pani Hauraki said she met the accused teacher and his wife the day after the complaint.

On Friday the teacher worked away from the school on full pay to carry out duties, including marking exams and working on reports.

Eric Woodward, of the School Trustees Association, who has been at the school this week, said the board was following correct processes over the allegations, but some parents question whether the school knew alcohol was apparently taken to the first camp and if the appropriate checks were made against the teacher, who was hired from overseas.

Some board members said they did not know how the teacher was hired because they were not involved in the recruitment.

A year ago, teacher Gemma Aspden, 26, was sacked for allegedly having a relationship with a 17-year-old student.

Six months later, Conrad Petersen was hired - a man sacked from Buller High School when its school board found that he had had a relationship with a student in the 1970s. He resigned two months ago.

Parents are anxious that the new case could mean more students leave Broadwood, a decile two school with 13 staff and about 100 students aged between 5 and 18, who are mainly Maori. There were 130 students in 1999.

Mr Woodward said many small school boards in remote areas were comprised of inexperienced board members who had the right intentions, but did not understand the procedures relating to school governance.

"They don't want to ask questions because they don't want to look like a dummy," he said.

When jobs were advertised, schools were supposed to appoint the "most suitable" applicant, but at Broadwood, few people applied - sometimes there were no applications.

Attracting people to the town is not a new problem. One farming couple, who would not be named, believed the school's administration drove away good teachers when they had them.

"The rampant racism (Pakehas not welcome) and blatant religious bias have alienated several teachers over the years," they said.

John Baine, who owns the Four Square and moved to Broadwood from Auckland 27 years ago, said his children had received a good education at Broadwood Area School.

But that was when schools were run by the Education Board and before people were more mobile and travelled out of town to "advance themselves".

"It is sad this is happening."

The problems Broadwood school is facing do not look as if they end there.

The Herald understands the board is also investigating assault allegations after a student was allegedly pushed to the ground by another teacher.