Western Bay of Plenty principals are supporting new government legislation that makes police vetting of non-teaching staff compulsory.
Parliament has passed the Education Amendment Act, which makes police vetting compulsory.

Tauranga Girls' College principal Pauline Cowens is endorsing new legislation that means non-teaching school staff will undergo police vetting.

All teachers already have to undergo police vetting in order to be registered as a teacher.
Tauranga Girls' College principal Pauline Cowens says her school already had a requirement for non-teaching staff to undergo police vetting and says it is "good practice".
"We've always done that. As part of the International Code of Practice we have to police vet all our homestays anyway, and so we thought we may as well make police vetting part of our process."
She says the police vetting of non-teaching staff include teacher aids, contractors, office staff, caretakers and homestays.
Pauline believes the law will offer students extra protection.
"If anything were to happen, you have covered one aspect of your risk.
"And teachers are vetted as part of their registration anyway, so if teachers need to be, then why not others who are working in the grounds?"