1352032 Response.pdf

[IN-CONFIDENCE - RELEASE EXTERNAL]

26/08/2025
Sarah-Louise
[FYI request #31887 email]
Tēnā koe Sarah-Louise

OIA: 1352032 – Ministerial appointees on school boards
Thank you for your email of 4 August 2025 to the Ministry of Education (the Ministry) requesting
the following information:
Could you please provide a list of all the schools that have ministerial appointees on their
board and details how much each of these roles is paid please?
Your request has been considered under the Official Information Act 1982 (the Act).
Ministerial appointments to boards are made for schools who specify these appointments in an
alternative constitution. The alternative constitution may have ministerial appointments as
members of the board for a variety of reasons. This can include school boards that cover a wide
section of the country like the Health Schools or Residential Specialist Schools, or it can be
because a school has struggled in the past to form a board. All schools with an alternative
constitution have their constitution published in the New Zealand Gazette.

Please see Appendix A below for a list of the current schools with ministerial appointees, and the
number of appointees that may be appointed according to their alternative constitution. Please
note that schools with ministerial appointees on their constitutions have been excluded from the list
where there are no active appointments.

Ministerial appointees to boards, like all school board members, are voluntary and receive a small
stipend for meeting attendance. This stipend is paid directly from the school to the board members,
and we do not have a record of these payments. I am therefore refusing this aspect of your request
under section 18(g) of the Act, as the aggregate information requested is not held by the Ministry,
and I have no grounds for believing the information is either held by or connected more closely with
the functions of another department or organisation subject to the Act.

School boards are subject to the Act in their own right, so it is open to you to approach the schools
directly to enquire if you are seeking further information in relation to the stipends provided. A list of
all New Zealand schools with their contact details can be found
here: https://www.educationcounts.govt.nz/directories/list-of-nz-schools

Wellington National Office, 1 The Terrace, Levels 5 to 14, Wellington 6011
PO Box 1666, Wellington 6140, DX SR51201 Phone: +64 4 463 8000
[IN-CONFIDENCE - RELEASE EXTERNAL]

[IN-CONFIDENCE - RELEASE EXTERNAL]

Under section 178 of the Education and Training Act 2020 the Minister may, as part of a statutory
intervention, appoint a board member to a school board. There are currently no board members
appointed to boards as part of a statutory intervention.
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 my decision
on your request, in accordance with section 28 of the Act. You can do this by writing to
[email address] or to Office of the Ombudsman, PO Box 10152, Wellington 6143.
Nāku noa, nā

Stephanie Ramirez
General Manager, Network and Regulatory
Te Mahau | Te Pae Aronui | Operations and Integration

OIA: 1352032
[IN-CONFIDENCE - RELEASE EXTERNAL]

[IN-CONFIDENCE - RELEASE EXTERNAL]

Appendix A: List of schools which currently have Ministerial appointees

School Name
Number of
Link to alternative Constitution Gazette notice
Appointees
possible
Central Regional Health
Up to 5
https://www.gazette.govt.nz/notice/id/2003-go4216
School (Gazetted as

Hospital Schools Boards
of Trustees)
Moerewa School
Up to 4
https://gazette.govt.nz/notice/id/2014-go1426

Ngamatapouri School
Up to 2
https://gazette.govt.nz/notice/id/2017-go4225

Northern Health School
Up to 5
https://www.gazette.govt.nz/notice/id/2003-go4216
(Gazetted as Hospital

Schools Boards of
Trustees)
Opononi Area School
Up to 4
https://gazette.govt.nz/notice/id/2014-go3335

Southern Health School
Up to 5
https://www.gazette.govt.nz/notice/id/2003-go4216
(Gazetted as Hospital

Schools Boards of
Trustees)
Tai Wananga
Up to 3
https://gazette.govt.nz/notice/id/2013-go5470

Te Aute College
Up to 3
https://gazette.govt.nz/notice/id/2013-go2191

Te Kura o Te Wainui-ā-
Up to 2
https://www.gazette.govt.nz/notice/id/2014-go1520
Rua

Te Kura Kaupapa Māori o
Up to 1
https://gazette.govt.nz/notice/id/2011-go5688
Wairarapa

OIA: 1352032
[IN-CONFIDENCE - RELEASE EXTERNAL]