Parents at a Christchurch school told its board they had lost trust in the school's leadership amid a series of concerns, with one describing a "dangerous and harmful message" being sent to whānau.

The parents at Māori immersion school Te Kura Kaupapa Māori o Waitaha said they were only told a staff member had been stood down after "sustained pressure" from whānau, and claimed they had been "implicitly encouraged to stay quiet".

"This is a dangerous and harmful message, especially when there are allegations involving potential harm to tamariki."

Others raised concerns about the management of the school and an alleged conflict of interest, adding they believed "a number of people" on the board may need to step aside temporarily.

It was also suggested a limited statutory manager needed to be appointed, with parents feeling "brushed off" and "bullied".

"Whānau do not have confidence in the board or chair and believe their needs are not priority and don't feel school is the healthy safe environment they all want and need it's a very serious harmful issue comprising the safety well-being protection of our tamariki the harm has been felt in whānau and community."

The concerns are contained in more than 70 pages of documents released to RNZ by the school under the Official Information Act.

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The documents show 13 complaints were made to the board between July last year and March this year, including allegations of bullying, board conduct, conflicts of interest and "behaviour unbecoming".

They also reveal concerns raised by staff and a police officer, who made a formal complaint about a staff member's behaviour and described it as the latest in a "raft of examples of [redacted] poor management and performance".

The OIA follows earlier revelations by RNZ that former principal Melissa Waitoa-Paki resigned amid allegations she failed to protect the safety of children and manage conflicts of interest.

Reports of concern

The school wrote to both Police and Oranga Tamariki in June last year to formally raise a report of concern. The reports, which are largely redacted, say that they understand a police investigation is either "in progress or about to commence".

"We wish to emphasize that this matter is being treated with the utmost seriousness. We are actively fulfilling all legal, procedural, and safeguarding obligations and are working to ensure the safety and wellbeing of all tamariki in our care.

"We understand that the whānau involved have already made direct contact with the police, and we expect this matter will be escalated to the appropriate authorities through that channel as well."

The school was "fully committed" to co-operating with any investigations.

Almost a week later the then chair of the board Sue Tipene received an email from someone whose name is redacted.

They referred to a hui that the school was having that night and was offering advice regarding comms.

"This might be helpful, up you the BOT as to how you want to use this or not....but COMMS are crucial for our whanau, there is alot of fear out there.... all the wanderings if their child/ren were involved is scary for any parent! What i know is secrets grows fear and creates lack of trust......so information and the way it is delivered is powerful and it brings a sense of understanding as whanau figure this space out too." (sic).

The following day Tipene received an email following up from a whānau hui.

The email was from "a concerned whānau", who said while they appreciated the effort to bring parents and caregivers together they were "deeply dissatisfied" with the communication and how things had been managed.

"It is our understanding that a staff member has been stood down. This is critical information that should have been communicated clearly and upfront.

"Instead, it was only addressed after sustained pressure from whānau during the hui, leading to confusion, frustration, and a sense of mistrust."

The email then listed a series of concerns including that no legal representatives were present and alleged that whānau were "implicitly encouraged to stay quiet or not speak widely about the situation".

"This is a dangerous and harmful message, especially when there are allegations involving potential harm to tamariki."

The email also alleged that there were no policies or safeguarding procedures explained to reassure those in attendance that children were "protected now and going forward".

They also said there were "circulating rumours" about the identity of the staff member who had been stood down.

The way the situation had been handled had "eroded our trust in the leadership and governance of the kura".

"Our tamariki deserve transparency, accountability, and proactive safeguarding. Our whānau deserve honest and clear communication."

They asked for several things including a formal written update outlining the current situation, as well as a clear explanation of relevant safeguarding policies.

Then, on June 11, Tipene received another email about a message that had gone to parents about a possible meeting among parents on June 13.

The message said the author was reaching out to parents as they did not have trust that the kura was in safe hands.

The author's concerns included the management of the school and an alleged conflict of interest.

The author's solution re the perceived conflict of interest was for the person to "step out of the kura temporarily".

"Please be mindful this hui is not to determine what happened or to discuss the details but to acknowledge a full investigation is in play because of an allegation of harm and we need to be ensure that all our kids are safe from any further harm as we move forward."

Following the meeting an email was sent to Tipene outlining the concerns parents had and action that parents requested.

In relation to conflicts of interest, they believed "a number of people" may need to step aside temporarily.

"We do not hold the kura responsible for the actions of an individual/s. We do look to the responses of the leadership, for accountability and adherence to the policies that seek to keep our tamariki/rangatahi safe.

"As parents and community members we strongly encourage our concerns to be taken seriously…"

School board 'a risk to the operation of the school…'

The OIA also includes an email sent to the school on July 2 last year. The author said the letter intended to highlight concerns regarding health and safety.

They said they believed the current board was a "risk to the operation of the school health safety and welfare of educational performance of your students".

"I believe a limited statutory manager needs to be appointed an independent temporary manager who will take responsibility for aspects of the board's role."

The author said they were working with some staff and whānau who were all affected.

They said that some were feeling "brushed off" and "bullied".

"No one has acknowledged the harm caused to whānau tamariki staff business as usual is a toxic environment continuing harm to staff whānau and tamariki caused by this very serious issue."

The author said "it took the board a week and a half to inform parents they could not inform them other than a staffer had been stood down for a "serious issue".

"Whānau do not have confidence in the board or chair and believe their needs are not priority and don't feel school is the healthy safe environment they all want and need it's a very serious harmful issue comprising the safety well-being protection of our tamariki the harm has been felt in whānau and community."

They listed several recommendations for the school and board.

Tipene replied on July 23.

In her response, she said the board heard their concerns and the concerns of the community.

"Please know that we are doing everything within our power to ensure the safety and wellbeing of our tamariki, whanau and staff.

"However, as your letter notes, we are bound by legal obligations under the Privacy Act 2020 which limits what we are able to disclose certain information and discuss matters openly."

She said the board's hands were "tied" in terms of how much they could disclose.

"However, while we cannot be as transparent with whānau as we would like, please know that this does not mean that the Ohu Motuhake have been idle or have mishandled the process."

The board had worked closely with several agencies including Oranga Tamariki, the Ministry of Education and Police.

"We work every single day with our staff, tamariki and whānau to ensure that they are feeling safe, that their well-being is being prioritised and that they have the professional and personal support available to them should they need it.

'How can this be considered a safe working environment…?'

In November last year a staff member, whose name is redacted, wrote to the board seeking special leave.

The staffer said they had asked themselves "how can this be considered a safe working environment for myself and, in turn, for our tamariki and taiohi?"

The staff member said they had tried to "move forward in good faith, but the same issues persist".

"I have given my all, and it deeply saddens me that it has come to the point of writing this letter. I will always stand for what is true, honest, and filled with light."

On 22 November last year a new board was elected. The school's presiding member of the board, Rena Viliamu emailed the staff member on 28 November about their request for special leave being approved.

Viliamu said the board would work with the staffer to facilitate their return.

Viliamu also acknowledged the "serious concerns you raised".

"At this stage, our intention is to undertake an independent investigation into the concerns that you have raised, subject to being able to obtain further specific information from you, as currently the complaint does not contain sufficient detail to enable us to investigate this matter fully."

Mandatory reports

The OIA also includes an email from a lawyer to the Teaching Council from January this year about issues relating to a current and former teacher.

The lawyer said the board considered it necessary to make further mandatory reports.

He also said he understood there had been recent requests from the Council to two teachers of the school seeking undertakings not to teach. The lawyer said those he was instructed by in the board had not seen the requests and asked for some information to be provided.

Two months later, a police officer emailed Viliamu and lawyers representing the school regarding a formal complaint about a staff member's behaviour.

The officer said it was "just the latest in raft of examples of [redacted] poor management and performance".

They also referred to reports of someone "attempting to intimidate and threaten people…"

Another mandatory report was sent from a lawyer representing the school to the Teaching Council on June 16.

Board responds

The OIA refers to 13 complaints that were raised with the board between July 2025 and March 2026.

They included allegations of bullying, board conduct, conflict of interest and "behaviour unbecoming".

The board said in the OIA response all complaints are treated seriously.

"Where the above complaints related to the actions of particular individuals, none of them are currently working at Te Kura.

"Te Kura takes prompt, appropriate action when concerns are raised. The safety and wellbeing of ākonga is the top priority."

In relation to information that had been withheld, the board said the school "has nothing to hide".

"But it has been necessary to redact or withhold information where disclosure would be prejudicial to the maintenance of the law.

"Other information has been withheld or redacted where, on balance, it has been decided that the need to protect the privacy of natural persons or maintain legal professional privilege outweighs the public interest."

In response to questions from RNZ on Tuesday, Ministry of Education director of education for Canterbury and Chatham Islands Coralanne Child said the Ministry gave "careful consideration to a statutory intervention".

"However, through its ongoing engagement with the board, the Ministry considered that the board had put appropriate supports and governance arrangements were in place, including support provided by the Ministry and external advisers."