Sex offender report with minister

A report into how a convicted sex offender managed to obtain teaching jobs at six schools including Matapihi School in Tauranga is now in the hands of Education Minister Hekia Parata.

The report details how 41-year-old Te Rito Henry Miki trained as a teacher and managed to violate his parole conditions by working in eight different schools around New Zealand.

Te Rito Henry Miki.

Miki, 40, is reported to have worked at six schools throughout a two year period including Matapihi Primary School where he was employed from July 2009 to August 2009.

He also worked at Rotorua’s Te Kura Kaupapa Maori O Te Koutu from October to December 2008; Rangitahi College in Murupara, from June 2007 and September 2008; and Stratford Community Learning Centre from July to November 2007.

Interim name suppression of the schools lapsed on April 13 this year.

Hekia Parata called for an inquiry in February after it was confirmed Miki was working at an Auckland primary school under an alias.

The inquiry was conducted by former ombudsman Mel Smith and former chief executive of the Education Review Office, Dr Judith Aitken.

“Parents should be able to send their children to school confident that an individual of this type is not part of the school environment,” says Hekia.

“This report will help us identify weaknesses in the system and what we need to do to address these.”

Hekia and the relevant ministers will now consider the report.

When and what aspects of the report will be made public will be determined in due course.

The report means the review of the Teacher’s Council can begin.

The terms of reference and a review panel are currently being established. It is intended that the review will be completed by September.

“It was always our intention to review the Teacher’s Council but we decided it was more appropriate to wait until the Ministerial Inquiry had been completed. Once the review is complete we will have a much better idea as to how the Council can be strengthened.”