Kia ora Ian

Thank you for the information request below. The Ministry will consider and respond to your request in accordance with the Official Information Act 1982 (the Act).

Under section 15(1) of the Act, we are required to make and inform you of our decision on your request as soon as reasonably practicable and in any case not later than 20 working days after the day on which your request is received. You can therefore expect to receive our decision on your request on or before 29 August. If more than 20 working days are needed due to the potential workload and/or consultations involved in answering your request, we will notify you accordingly.

In the interim, if you have any questions about your request, please email [email address].

Ngā mihi

Enquiries National Team | Te Tāhuhu o te Mātauranga | Ministry of Education | AG
education.govt.nz

We shape an education system that delivers equitable and excellent outcomes
He mea tārai e mātou te mātauranga kia rangatira ai, kia mana taurite ai ōna huanga

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[IN-CONFIDENCE - RELEASE EXTERNAL]

Tēnā koe Ian

 

Please find attached a letter regarding your request under the Official
Information Act.

  

Nāku noa, nā,

Official and Parliamentary Information | Ministry of Education | ED

[1]education.govt.nz

He mea tārai e mātou te mātauranga kia rangatira ai, kia mana taurite ai
ōna huanga
We shape an education system that delivers equitable and excellent
outcomes
[2][IMG]

 

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[IN-CONFIDENCE - RELEASE EXTERNAL]

Tçnâ koe Ian

 

Thank you for your email of 1 August 2025 to the Ministry of Education
(the Ministry) requesting the following information:

Please confirm details of all international travel undertaken by Mike
Pettit during his time as Principal (2008 to today) where any special or
specific funding (such as grants, scholarships, sabbatical funding etc)
has been provided, allocated or managed by the Ministry of education, to
contribute towards or cover the cost of his trips.

In each case, please provide:

 1. Dates of travel.
 2. Destination(s).
 3. Stated objectives/purpose/rationale for trip and funding assistance.
 4. Amount of funding provided, and any breakdown of that amount if
available.
 5. Any family who joined him?
 6. A copy of any report, summary or other documentation written or sent
by Mike or his team after the trip to report back on outcomes or
otherwise acknowledge the funding assistance.
 7. Who approved this within the MoE and when.

Your request has been considered under the Official Information Act 1982
(the Act).

The Principal of Cambridge School, Mike Pettit, has been granted one
Primary Principals’ Sabbatical that included overseas travel in the
timeframe covered by your request. This took place in 2016.

You can find general information about Primary Principals’ Sabbaticals
here:
[1]https://workforce.education.govt.nz/prin....

As previously advised on 25 August 2025, details of dates of travel,
destination and any family who joined Mr Pettit on this sabbatical are not
held by the Ministry, so parts one, two and five of your request have been
transferred to the Cambridge School Board under section 14(b)(i) of the
Act.

The information that the Ministry holds on the remaining details requested
is as follows.

Regarding part three of your request, the purpose of Mr Pettit’s 2016
Primary Principals’ Sabbatical was to develop a "kite" that would provide
improved knowledge, skills, understanding and effective practices to
successfully engage Mâori and Pasifika parents and wider whânau.

Regarding part four of your request, there is no funding assistance linked
to the Primary Principals’ Sabbatical – the Ministry only covers relief
costs to the school for the duration of the sabbatical. This part of your
request is therefore refused under section 18(e) of the Act, as the
information requested does not exist.

Regarding part six of your request, Mr Pettit’s 2016 Primary Principals’
Sabbatical report can be found here:
[2]https://www.educationalleaders.govt.nz/L....
This part of your request is therefore refused under section 18(d) of the
Act, as the information requested is publicly available.

Regarding part seven of your request, Mr Pettit’s 2016 Primary Principals’
Sabbatical was approved in 2015 by a panel comprised of New Zealand
Educational Institute Te Riu Roa, Te Whakarôputanga Kaitiaki Kura o
Aotearoa | New Zealand School Boards Association (previously the New
Zealand School Trustees Association), and the Ministry.

Please note, we may publish this response on our website after five
working days. Your name and contact details will be removed.

Thank you again for your email. You have the right to ask an Ombudsman to
review the decision on your request, in accordance with section 28 of the
Act. You can do this by writing to [3][email address] or to
Office of the Ombudsman, PO Box 10152, Wellington 6143. 

Nâku noa, nâ,

Official and Parliamentary Information | Ministry of Education | ED

[4]education.govt.nz

He mea târai e mâtou te mâtauranga kia rangatira ai, kia mana taurite ai
ôna huanga
We shape an education system that delivers equitable and excellent
outcomes
[5][IMG]

 

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