\u201cWe sincerely hope no other school in New Zealand will have to experience what our community has endured,\u201d the school\u2019s presiding board member Sanalio Kaihau said.<\/p>\n
Gavet denied Cullen\u2019s ties with Bewt when the Herald sought comment a fortnight ago.<\/p>\n
\u201cRhys Cullen has nothing to do with us. I\u2019ll make that categorically clear in terms of what we\u2019re doing with the conversions,\u201d Gavet said.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s not a part of this conversion, not a part of Bewt and what it is we do,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n
Cullen told the Herald he didn\u2019t support Kelston Boys\u2019 conversion into a charter school and couldn\u2019t understand why his past was relevant. <\/p>\n
\u201cI can see that there might be some relevance to the application if I supported it, but I do not. I have no intention of becoming involved,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Cullen then applied for an urgent injunction to stop the Herald publishing. <\/p>\n
When the Herald successfully opposed that, he filed an appeal \u2013 restricting our ability to publish for another fortnight.<\/p>\n
On Thursday this week, Cullen withdrew his action without his appeal being heard, noting he wasn\u2019t sure he had \u201cenergy to pursue this matter\u201d.<\/p>\n
Bewt, in the meantime, quietly dropped its takeover bid for Kelston Boys.<\/p>\n
And around the same time, Cullen sat side-by-side with Gavet in Bewt\u2019s West Auckland club rooms for a TVNZ video interview to discuss the takeover. That was despite his legal action continuing to gag the Herald.<\/p>\n
Cullen was presented in the interview as Bewt\u2019s main tutor and educator and a key part of its success.<\/p>\n
Gavet declared in the same segment that he backed Cullen \u201c110%\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy community profile I\u2019ll lay on the line,\u201d he said regarding his support for Cullen.<\/p>\n
Bewt now planned to apply to start a new charter school in its club rooms where Cullen tutors students.<\/p>\n
\u2018Any random person with a beef can apply\u2019<\/p>\n
Kelston Boys’ High School in Auckland said it was not associated with the group trying to convert it into a charter school. Photo \/ Supplied \/ Google Maps<\/p>\n
Critics said Bewt\u2019s failed takeover raised questions about \u201crandom\u201d people or groups using new charter school laws to seek to take over public schools.<\/p>\n
Charter schools are independent or private schools funded by taxpayers.<\/p>\n
One Auckland principal told the Herald conversion applications should be required to meet higher thresholds.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s concerning \u2026 any random person with a beef can form a group and put together an application,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Gavet and Bewt had hoped to gain a charter school contract to run the school for 10-years, starting from January.<\/p>\n
Gavet earlier told the Herald that his team met the high standards needed to run an important community asset.<\/p>\n
Kelston Boys\u2019 students tutored by him and Bewt backed his conversion plans, he said.<\/p>\n
He\u2019d held a variety of education sector roles and previously served on Kelston Boys\u2019 board, he said.<\/p>\n
He also founded Pro-Pare Athlete Management Trust, a charity that worked with Bewt to tutor secondary students, with a focus on high-performance rugby and rugby league.<\/p>\n
Bewt claimed its tutoring and community hub \u2013 with gym equipment and \u201cchill out\u201d zones \u2013 had helped students achieve sporting success, gain real job skills and entry into engineering at university.<\/p>\n
Struck off GP signed charity\u2019s founding document<\/p>\n
Rhys Michael Cullen pictured leaving a medical tribunal hearing in April 2007. Photo \/ Greg Bowker<\/p>\n
Despite Gavet distancing Bewt from Cullen, the former doctor signed the charity\u2019s founding legal document in May 2023 as a witness, the Charities Register showed.<\/p>\n
A 2021 Onehunga Community News article described Cullen and Gavet as \u201ccolleagues\u201d.<\/p>\n
A High Court judge in 2023 also described Cullen as providing tutoring and other services to young students \u201calongside\u201d Gavet\u2019s Pro-Pare Athlete Management Trust.<\/p>\n
In that case, Cullen unsuccessfully appealed a trespass notice that Mt Albert Grammar issued barring him from their school grounds.<\/p>\n
Cullen accused the school of institutional racism, and said students tutored by him had improved academically.<\/p>\n
Mt Albert Grammar claimed Cullen \u201cwanders around\u201d its grounds and would sometimes take students to off-campus tutoring while the school was open without notifying teachers.<\/p>\n
They also claimed he was unhelpful, argumentative and combative with staff, and encouraged students he tutored to defy teachers and be uncooperative.<\/p>\n
Cullen also lost a connected 2024 High Court case in which he sought appointment as \u201clitigation guardian\u201d for a Mt Albert Grammar student so he could represent the boy in court against the school.<\/p>\n
The judge rejected the application partly because of his \u201ccharacter\u201d.<\/p>\n
The judge noted how the former Papakura GP was struck off the medical register for prescribing more than 46,000 tablets containing pseudoephedrine \u2013 P\u2019s main ingredient \u2013 in 2003 and 2004 without medical justification.<\/p>\n
He was later convicted in 2009 on 15 counts of receiving stolen vehicles at a scrap metal yard, the judge said.<\/p>\n
School fights back against hostile takeover<\/p>\n
Kelston Boys High School first XV team celebrate winning the Auckland 1A final. Photo \/ Photosport<\/p>\n
When launching the takeover bid for Kelston Boys\u2019, Gavet claimed the school was failing academically and that intervention was needed desperately.<\/p>\n
However, in a letter posted online on October 28, the school\u2019s acting principal Daniel Samuela accused Gavet\u2019s team of not only launching a hostile takeover but acting with a \u201clack of transparency\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt has further raised concerns for us about their ability to work with the community and staff,\u201d Samuela said. <\/p>\n
\u201cOur senior leaders and staff do not believe that becoming a charter school is in the best interests of our students and community.\u201d<\/p>\n
Samuela said his team was proud of Kelston Boys\u2019 academic, cultural and sporting progress in recent years. <\/p>\n
That included a record NCEA level 3 pass rate of 85% in 2024 and winning the World Schools Rugby Festival in Dubai.<\/p>\n
\u2018Community support needed\u2019 – Seymour<\/p>\n
Associate Minister for Education David Seymour said charter schools give parents more choice. Photo \/ Michael Craig<\/p>\n
Associate Education Minister David Seymour has pushed charter schools\u2019 introduction, with the coalition government setting aside $153 million over two years for new or converting public schools.<\/p>\n
Seymour said they gave students and parents more education choices while introducing standards that must be met.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ve set up a system where applicants must be part of the school community, clearly explain why their proposal would work, and demonstrate genuine community support. If they can\u2019t do that, the proposal will not proceed,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Bewt earlier said the new Charter School Agency had helped and worked closely with it on its now withdrawn application.<\/p>\n
Those wanting to convert public schools can get $8000 in taxpayer help for applications, the agency\u2019s website says.<\/p>\n
Justine Mahon, chair of the Authorisation Board \u2013 the new seven-person board with final say on which schools become charter schools \u2013 said the agency funded outside groups it called \u201csupport partners\u201d to help applicants.<\/p>\n
Bewt received six hours help from a support partner, Mahon told the Herald in early November.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe exact amount paid to the support partner is commercial in confidence but would generally be expected to be in the range of $1000-$2000 total per applicant.\u201d<\/p>\n
If there are enough charter school applicants, Mahon\u2019s board could award $153m in taxpayer-funded contracts during its tenure.<\/p>\n
Asked what information was publicly available about how and why the board made decisions, Mahon said successful new contracts were \u201cnotified in the Gazette\u201d and announced by Seymour.<\/p>\n
Unsuccessful applicants were contacted directly \u201cand this information isn\u2019t released publicly as it\u2019s confidential\u201d, she said.<\/p>\n
Asked why the public couldn\u2019t know who sought taxpayer funded contracts and how decisions were made, Mahon said releasing those details could \u201cdiscourage\u201d and \u201cdeter\u201d future applicants.<\/p>\n
In response to criticism about lack of transparency, Mahon said the laws laid out a range of requirements the board must follow.<\/p>\n
That included seeking the views of the heads of the Ministry of Education and Education Review Office and consulting with communities to gauge the level of local support for a proposed charter school.<\/p>\n
Secrecy surrounding $153m in taxpayer funds – union<\/p>\n
Kelston Boys High School Fijian group perform at Polyfest. Photo \/ Alex Burton <\/p>\n
Labour and Kelston MP Carmel Sepuloni called the takeover bid \u201cconcerning\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe need full transparency of this process and an explanation of how worrying takeovers like these could be allowed,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Chris Abercrombie, the New Zealand Post Primary Teachers\u2019 Association president, said his union opposed \u201cforcibly\u201d converting public schools, noting the charter law let \u201canyone apply\u201d. <\/p>\n
\u201cFor argument\u2019s sake, I could decide I want to be the sponsor of Auckland Grammar \u2026 and that has to be given due process,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
He questioned the process\u2019 transparency and independence.<\/p>\n
Charter schools were exempt from the Official Information Act, while five of the seven Authorisation Board members deciding cases like Keston Boys\u2019 had served on an earlier board advising how to set up charter schools, he said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"\u201cWe sincerely hope no other school in New Zealand will have to experience what our community has endured,\u201d…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":144609,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[534,4496,51,4057,1040,1848,1977,76864,42503,10039,164,7061,12513,71,97457,10938,2959,46613,221,76863,1362,111,43,139,69,3109,12900,97456,4062,67343,26592,223,45666,61,28355],"class_list":["post-144608","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-new-zealand","tag-amid","tag-attempt","tag-auckland","tag-behind","tag-bid","tag-boys","tag-charity","tag-charter","tag-collapsed","tag-controversial","tag-cullen","tag-doctor","tag-failed","tag-from","tag-gag","tag-herald","tag-high","tag-hostile","tag-how","tag-kelston","tag-made","tag-new-zealand","tag-news","tag-newzealand","tag-nz","tag-public","tag-revealing","tag-rhys","tag-school","tag-struckoff","tag-takeover","tag-the","tag-ties","tag-to","tag-trying"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/144608","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=144608"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/144608\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/144609"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=144608"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=144608"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=144608"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}