For some parents, ‘showing up for their kids’ meant finding the courage to speak up when they believed something wasn’t right about their school. For Mercury Bay Area School, it has meant opening its doors, listening to concerns, holding space for difficult conversations and beginning a process that, while not always easy, has been necessary. For me, it meant listening to our community, carrying those concerns forward, asking difficult questions on their behalf, and later accepting the Principal’s invitation to walk the school grounds, better understand the school’s perspective and see the work already underway.
Several weeks ago I wrote Our Kids Deserve Better, reflecting concerns raised by parents from Mercury Bay and the wider community. That article was intended to ensure those concerns were heard.
On 9 June, I met with Principal Ross Dunn, Presiding Member, Gary Hinds and Board member Joe Davis. During that meeting, I presented a verbal submission reflecting the concerns entrusted to me by members of our community. It was a candid and respectful discussion, and I believe those concerns have now been heard.
Following that meeting, I later accepted Ross Dunn’s invitation to return and walk around the school grounds during which Ross openly shared both the school’s strengths and its challenges. He outlined the significant investment being made into the school’s future and the work already underway to improve the learning environment.
Ross also shared the school’s longer-term vision of strengthening cultural identity, improving learning environments, expanding opportunities for students and continuing to build support for young people with additional learning needs. I was also encouraged to hear about the progress the school has made in recent years, including improved NCEA achievement, national recognition for attendance and engagement. Those successes deserve to be acknowledged just as much as the challenges deserve to be addressed.
In relation to the senior toilet facilities, I was shown where external blind spots had already been removed, how camera coverage around the surrounding areas had been improved, where vape detection technology had been installed, and the further changes planned to improve passive supervision while protecting student privacy.
These are encouraging steps.
Ross also spoke about the proactive engagement he had undertaken with our satellite schools following concerns that led some schools to temporarily withdraw students from technology classes. Practical measures, including dedicated toilet facilities for visiting students, were introduced quickly and addressed an immediate concern.
For many families, however, those concerns extended beyond the immediate safety of the toilet facilities to matters concerning bullying, student wellbeing and reassurance that these issues continue to be addressed. For them trust is built through visible action, consistency and ongoing engagement.
During our discussion, Gary Hinds also explained that correspondence received by the Board is not typically responded to by an individual member. Rather, responses are considered through the Board’s governance processes before a formal reply is provided. While that process can understandably feel slow for families waiting for answers, it provided a better understanding of the governance responsibilities and collective decision-making that sits behind those responses.
During my meeting on 9 June, I left ten questions on behalf of the community. They were intended to promote accountability, transparency and continued dialogue.
A month has now passed. I acknowledge the positive steps already underway and I believe those questions remain just as relevant today as when they were first asked. They reflect many of the concerns entrusted to me by parents from Mercury Bay and the wider community, and I believe they deserve thoughtful responses from the Office of the Principal.
Set out are the following ten questions exactly as they were presented during my verbal submission on 9 June 2026.
- What steps have already been taken to improve student safety around the school’s toilet facilities. What further improvements are being considered, and how confident is the Board that students currently feel safe using them?
- How do we create a pathway where concerns can be raised, heard and discussed before frustration reaches that point?
- What does the Board see as the biggest challenges currently facing the school in these areas?
- Does the Board acknowledge that confidence in the school has been affected within the wider community?
- How can the school create more opportunities for direct engagement with the community?
- How does the school ensure consistency when dealing with behavioural issues and student wellbeing concerns?
- What steps are being taken to strengthen confidence in both leadership and governance moving forward?
- How can the community be reassured that meaningful action is taking place when much of the detail cannot be shared publicly?
- What would a genuine partnership between the school and community look like?
- What would success look like one year from now, and how will the community know progress has been made?
