23 June 2025
Maddi Nepi
Karori Normal School Board of Trustees: Official Information Act request
Tēnā koe Maddie
I refer to your official information request dated 23 May 2025 for “any communication
between individual parent representative members of the Board of Trustees and members of the
Karori Normal School parent community (excluding those also on the Board of Trustees) from 1
April 2024 to 22 May 2025…The scope of this request only includes communication sent in a
Board member capacity and specifically includes any updates to parents, or groups of parents
on matters discussed at the Board, or related to Board business, such as surveys or
consultations with the community”.
Part of the information you have requested is enclosed. Redactions have been made to the
information in accordance with section 9 of the Official Information Act on the grounds of
protecting the privacy of natural persons.
I have provided you with emails from one parent representative member of the Board to a group
of parents which were shared by a member of the community with our previous presiding
member. The majority of the Board believes these emails fall within the scope of your request as
they contain this board member’s summaries and reflections of meetings he attended as a
Board member.
However, the Board member disagrees that his emails were sent in a “Board member capacity”
as:
• the Board member has been providing communications to this group of parents
within the Karori Normal School parent community, (both prior to his election as
a parent representative and since his time as an elected board member);
• since becoming a Board member, he has included a disclaimer stating that
these communications are sent in a personal capacity;
• the emails are sent from a personal email address; and
• the contents of the emails relate to matters discussed in the open parts of the
meeting which any member of the public has access to.
I understand that there are other emails within the requested time period sent by this Board
member to his group within the Karori Normal School parent community. This board member
has refused to provide them to me and the rest of the board based on his views set out above.
However, this board member has advised me that he would be happy to consider passing these
communications on to you in his personal capacity.
You have the right to seek an investigation and review by the Ombudsman of this decision.
Information about how to make a complaint is available at
www.ombudsman.parliament.nz or
freephone 0800 802 602.
If you wish to discuss this decision with us, please feel free to contact me at
[email address].
Nāku noa, nā
Natalie Vaughan-Sanders
Presiding member
Karori Normal School board of Trustees
Enclosed documents:
• Email from presiding member to parent dated 2 May 2024
• Email from presiding member to parent dated 8 May 2024
• Email from presiding member to parent dated 10 May 2024
• Email from parent representative to group of KNS parent community dated 20 May 2024
• Email from parent representative to group of KNS parent community dated 26 May 2024
• Email from parent representative to group of KNS parent community re June 2024 Board
meeting
• Email from parent representative to group of KNS parent community dated 25 June 2024
• Email from presiding member to parent dated 27 June 2024
• Email from presiding member to parent dated 10 July 2024
• Email from presiding member to parent dated 29 July 2024
• Email from presiding member to parent dated 29 July 2024
• Email from parent representative to group of KNS parent community dated 19 August
2024
• Emails from presiding member to parent re junior playground feedback 11 – 15
November 2024
• Email from parent representative to group of KNS parent community dated 12 May 2025
