Peachey prefers Kangaroo Court
New Zealand Principals’ Federation President Pat Newman is disappointed and angry about recent comments by National MP
Allan Peachey.
Peachey yesterday released a statement surrounding the resignation of two Boards of Trustees, following unhappiness over
the respective principals. He called for the Government to re-examine the employment relationship between Boards of
Trustees and their Principals.
“Allan’s statements are quite misleading, which I find extraordinary given his former role as Principal of Rangitoto
College,” says Newman. “He knows very well that principals are employed under basically the same rules as any other
employee. I would have presumed that before attacking his former colleagues he would have checked just how many schools
have problems of this nature. If he had, Allan would have found that this issue is minimal and not at all indicative of
a huge problem or poor principal performance across the country. He is just using the problem two schools are having for
personal political gain. His public intervention and naming of the schools, does absolutely nothing to help those
schools move on.”
Newman says Peachey’s statement presupposes that Boards are always correct and Principals are always in the wrong. “The
reality is quite different, and Allan knows it. Principals are reviewed and replaced on a regular basis through the
normal employment process, not the Kangaroo Court system he seems to prefer.”
Newman believes Peachey’s comments have done nothing to encourage prospective principals. “Election year is over. Allan
needs to start carrying out the duties of a responsible politician, instead of taking two incidents and making sweeping
statements about the industry as a whole.”
-ENDS-