“I have requested and received initial information from the Ministry and have made my expectations to the secretary of education clear.”
The school’s principal did not respond to a request for comment by time of publication.
In 2023, the man pleaded guilty to having a sexual connection with the teen, and indecent communication, which included sending photos of his genitals.
A judge at the time said a conviction would be a “crushing blow” to his future prospects, finding that “the gravity of the offending viewed as a whole is relatively low”, and he was granted a discharge without conviction as well as permanent name suppression.
The court ordered an emotional harm payment to the victim of $2000.
Superintendent Blair Macdonald confirmed police did receive a vet request from the man’s employer and the circumstances of “what occurred” were shared with the requester, along with the fact the man was discharged without conviction.
The Herald is not aware of what specifically was communicated to the school about the admitted offending.
Police Minister Mark Mitchell (right) and Police Commissioner Richard Chambers. Photo / Mark Mitchell
Mitchell said he was satisfied police had done their job.
“Police are responsible for the vetting of individuals on request from the agency concerned, and for relaying on its findings. Beyond this point, decisions on suitability for a role sit with the requesting agency.”
On whether admitted sex offenders should work at schools, Mitchell said: “I am sure we would all agree, that would not be appropriate.”
The former athlete declined to comment through his lawyer.
The school has been approached for comment.
The victim’s mother is horrified by the situation and also believed parents should have the right to know he is working there.
“Those girls and young women and their parents will not be aware of it, so they can’t take measures to protect them.”
She said if the school knew about his history and still employed him it was “abhorrent”.
Her daughter, she said, had now given up on justice and felt that “sportsmen get away with things”.
In her opinion: “The sport and their success in sport comes ahead of the safety of young women and girls.”
The success of an individual’s career, she said, should never take precedence over the rights of victims.
“If you knew, as a parent, you would not send your young women and girls to learn from him. Parents would boycott.
“They should know, parents should be given the opportunity to make informed choices about their children’s safety.”
Ministry of Education operations and integration acting leader Julia Hardacre said school boards have a legal and non-negotiable obligation to ensure every person they employ is safe to work with children.
“This includes completing full safety checks under the Children’s Act 2014 – such as identity verification, police vetting, reference checks and rigorous risk assessments.”
“Any past behaviour involving a young person must be treated with the utmost seriousness.”
Hardacre said boards must always err on the side of caution when making employment decisions involving anyone working with children.
Boards are also required to have robust child protection policies and the ministry will intervene if legal requirements are not met.
“If the ministry is provided with information, or if a complaint is made about a board’s safety‑checking processes, the ministry will act immediately.”
When asked whether the ministry had intervened in this situation, it said it could not comment on case specifics.
The agency also shared that a new memorandum was recently signed between government agencies, including the Ministry of Social Development and NZ Police, to enable faster alerts and more proactive responses to identified risks.
Katie Harris is an Auckland-based journalist who covers issues including sexual assault, workplace misconduct, media, crime and justice. She joined the Herald in 2020.
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