Te Kura o Matapihi
School Van Policy
Purpose
The school van is owned and operated by Te Kura o Matapihi (TKOM) primarily for
the purpose of school transport for students and supervising staff to attend school
programs off campus within the local area and at certain times further afield for school
related purposes.
Objectives of the Policy
1. Provide guidelines and equitable and safe use of the vans.
2. To ensure that staff who drive school vehicles in the course of their work
demonstrate safe, efficient driving skills and other good road safety habits at all
times
3. To maintain all school vehicles in a safe, clean and roadworthy condition to ensure
the maximum safety of the drivers, occupants and other road users.
Guidelines
1. The designated driver must hold a valid current licence which must be sighted,
and details recorded. Parents, caregivers, sports coaches or other adults may be
given approval to drive school vans by senior management and must adhere to
all the same conditions as staff members.
2. The school vans are only available for non-school related trips by express
permission of the Tumuaki to whom application should be made in writing.
3. Where two or more trips require the van on the same day, and adequate notice of
the booking is given, preference will be given to out of town venues. The final
decision will be made by the Deputy Principal or Tumuaki.
4. The designated driver must book the school van and complete a van booking
sheet – this is done through the administrator who will then confirm the booking
and enter all bookings on to the school gmail calendar.
5. Logbooks are kept in the vehicles and and keys are available from the office.
6. All traffic offences must be declared and the Tumuaki or Deputy Principal will
make the final decision as to whether the person is permitted to drive the vehicle
again. Payment for all traffic infringement notices are the responsibility of the
driver.
7. For journeys of more than 100km:
The school office must have a list of all occupants in the vehicle, as well as
contract names and numbers of the students in case of emergency
The school office must have written notification of the vehicle’s plan including
destination, time of departure/arrival and strategic stopovers.
8. All passengers and drivers must wear seatbelts.
9. Drivers or other occupants of vans must not be under the influence or in
possession of alcohol, drugs or other illegal substances.
10. Passenger numbers must not exceed the legal limit.
11. Any loads that are part of the vehicle must be safely secured.
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12. Users of the school van must appreciate that it is a very visible advertisement for
the Kura and, as such, it should be driven in a manner, and parked in locations
that will not bring embarrassment to the school.
13. Vans will be kept secure at the School House or Tumuaki House.
14. Smoking is not allowed in school vans.
15. Vans must be returned clean and with fuel tanks full. Refill is to be at the Caltex
Bayfair. The prior user will be charged for cleaning and fuel if necessary. Fuel
Receipts must be handed to the Admin Office.
16. Report any problems to the Admin Office and record in the appropriate log book.
What employees are to do if there is a crash in a school vehicle
Immediately stop your vehicle at the scene or as close to it as possible, making sure
you are not obstructing traffic. Ensure your own safety first. Help any injured people
and call for assistance if needed.
Try to get the following information:
• Details of the other vehicle(s) and registration number(s)
• Name(s) and address(es) of the other vehicle owner(s) and driver(s)
• Name(s) and address(es) of any witness(es)
• Name(s) of insurer(s).
Give the following information:
• Your name and address and company details.
If you damage another vehicle that is unattended, leave a note on the vehicle with your
contact details.
Contact the police:
• If there are injuries
• If there is a disagreement over the cause of the crash
• If you damage property other than your own
• If damage to the vehicle looks to be worth more than $2,500.
Follow-Up:
• If there is an injury or major damage, report the crash to the principal as soon
as you can.
• If the staff member is at fault in an accident that results in damage of the school
vehicle, this accident will be investigated. If proven that as an act of careless
driving has resulted in the accident, the staff member (vehicle user), may be
required to pay the excess for insurance purposes.
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FOR PRIVATE USE OF SCHOOL VANS
The school vans are solely booked for school purposes. As a good will gesture it
may be available to Board of Trustees and staff members for private use.
Procedures:
1. Applications for private use must be made in writing to the Tumuaki.
2. The Tumuaki will check with administration before permitting the booking to
be pencilled in.
3. A private booking may be superseded by a school booking up until four
working days before the booked date.
4. Where a subsequent school booking conflicts with a (prior) private booking
the Tumuaki and the private user must both be advised by the school user as
soon as possible.
5. An invoice will be sent out at the end of the trip. The charge for the van is $15
per day
plus a km price as listed below. All charges are plus GST
a. 0-200km @ 86c km
b. 200-500km @ 80c km
c. 500+ @ 75c km
6. The school van will be fuelled by the school before private use and the private
user must ensure the school van is fully refuelled upon its return or further
costs will be charged.
7. In the event of damage to the school van when in private use, the user will be
required to pay the cost of any excess or no-claim loss to the school (as per
the insurance policy), an any costs incurred that are not covered by the
school’s insurance policy.
8. All drivers must have a clean licence.
9. In all other respects, private use of the school van is to be treated the same
as school use.
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