School board vetting to be considered after white supremacist’s election tilt

Police vetting is being considered for school board election candidates as concern mounts over a convicted criminal with white supremacist views seeking a spot in Christchurch.

Education Minister Chris Hipkins said in an interview some candidates “aren’t suitable” due to past offending, but he was “mindful” of introducing measures that could impede the democratic process.

However, he confirmed police vetting was on the table.

The lack of checks for school board candidates was thrust into the spotlight by Philip Arps contesting one of five parent seats on Christchurch’s Te Aratai College board.

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Arps was sentenced to 21 months in prison after sharing video of the deadly Christchurch mosque terror attacks and asking a friend to add a video game-style “kill count”. He served just six months.

Low voter turnout may see Arps claim a seat, with fewer than 20% of school parents and caregivers casting their votes on Monday morning ahead of the Wednesday 4pm election deadline.

Arps’ candidacy has rattled the school’s Muslim community, with Te Aratai College less than a kilometre away from the Linwood Islamic Centre – one of two mosques targeted in the March 2019 terror attacks.

In 2016, Arps and a friend videoed themselves taking a pig’s head to Christchurch’s Masjid An-Nur (Al-Noor Mosque) – the other site targeted in the attacks – and performing a Nazi salute.

As of March this year, Arps had accumulated 50 convictions, served 13 prison terms and committed 19 offences while on bail, but there was nothing legally preventing his candidacy.

While the day-to-day running of a school is generally the domain of the principal, school boards hold overall responsibility, including setting the strategic direction, approving policies and making employment and financial decisions.

Hipkins said while police vetting was being considered, he wanted to tread carefully to ensure there were no unintended legal consequences or democratic rights being limited.

“Ultimately, do we want to have people who have track records that suggests that they’re not appropriate people to have around children, do we want them on a school board for example? I think that is a legitimate question.

“I don’t think we should have a knee-jerk response based on one or two particular examples.”

Associate Education Minister Jan Tinetti has requested advice on the “legal ease” of intervening should Arps be elected, as well as the application of a code of conduct for school boards.

While a code setting out the minimum standards of conduct that each board member must meet has been a legal option for since 2020, Tinetti asked for urgent advice on its application after Arps’ candidacy emerged.

That advice, received on Friday, was being considered and unable to be released publicly at this time, her office said.

Crown Law, the Government’s legal adviser, confirmed it couldn’t find any reference to school board elections and a code of conduct, but said if it did exist, any advice would be “subject to legal professional privilege”.

Police have a vetting service for approved agencies that provide care to children, older people and vulnerable members of society, which differs from criminal record checks offered by the Ministry of Justice.