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Penny Marie
Mum, woman, female. NZ-based independent investigative reporter, researcher, writer, coach, truth seeker. Founder of Let Kids Be Kids NZ.
Written by Richard Shelford-Woodcock on May 26, 2026 and reposted with permission:
Parents, caregivers and former students have spoken out about long‑standing concerns around safety, communication and school culture, emphasising that this moment must lead to meaningful engagement rather than defensiveness.
Recent events at Mercury Bay Area School have sparked significant concern across the wider Mercury Bay community, particularly following an incident in the school toilet block where a student was physically harmed. The person bullied had a leg broken by one student. The victim had been lured into the toilets: two stood guard, whilst the third student did the harm. While the incident itself understandably drew immediate attention, for many families it also became the catalyst for something much deeper, bringing long-held frustrations and unresolved concerns to the surface.
Over recent weeks, parents, caregivers, former students, and members of the wider community have spoken openly about what they believe are broader issues surrounding student wellbeing, behaviour, school culture, and the way concerns are addressed when families seek reassurance or answers.
Alongside Hanna Bramley and Sarah Nicholson, concerns have been formally outlined to the board of trustees in an email supported by a significant number of families from across the Mercury Bay schooling community, including parents connected to our satellite schools. The request is simple: an opportunity for those concerns to be voiced respectfully and constructively through a community representative.
That request is awaiting a response.
For many within the community, however, the issue can never be simply about one opportunity to speak at a board meeting. What has become increasingly clear is that many families feel there has been a growing disconnect between sections of the school community and those responsible for leadership and governance.
The conversations now taking place are not being driven by anger alone. In many cases, they are being driven by disappointment, frustration, and a genuine desire to see local young people thrive in an environment where they feel safe, supported, and heard.
Many parents have expressed concern that issues raised privately over a long period of time have often appeared unresolved, only becoming more publicly acknowledged after serious incidents occur. Others have questioned what they see as a reactive approach to communication, particularly through the use of social media, when many families had hoped for more direct, face-to-face engagement and open dialogue with school leadership.
Importantly, these concerns should not automatically be interpreted as attacks on the school itself.
Mercury Bay Area School remains an important part of the community, with many dedicated staff, teachers, volunteers, and families who care deeply about the wellbeing of local children. Most parents speaking out are not seeking division or conflict. They are seeking accountability, reassurance, and meaningful engagement.
At the heart of this discussion is something much bigger than one isolated incident. It is about whether families feel genuinely listened to when concerns are raised, and whether communities are invited into difficult conversations before frustration reaches boiling point.
One of the more sobering themes emerging from recent conversations has been hearing from local families who now feel they may need to consider sending their children away to boarding school earlier than ever expected. For many parents, that thought comes with genuine sadness because they believe Mercury Bay should be a place where young people can grow, learn, and remain connected to their own community.
Communities are strongest when difficult conversations can happen openly, respectfully, and without fear of dismissal. Wanting to be part of those conversations should never be viewed as opposition. It should be recognised for what it truly is a community that cares deeply about its children and wants to help shape a positive path forward.
The concerns raised over recent weeks will not simply disappear. If anything, the response from the wider community has shown just how strongly many families feel about the future wellbeing of local students.
Mercury Bay is a resilient and compassionate community. The hope now is that the conversations emerging from this difficult moment can ultimately lead toward greater understanding, restorative approaches, stronger relationships, and positive change. At the end of the day, every family wants the same thing: Our kids deserve better.
A note from Penny Marie…
Many parents are sick and tired of battling schools to get issues acknowledged and resolved relating to bullying and inappropriate behaviour of students. And yet, each year, many schools roll out ‘Pink Shirt Day’ to tackle ‘bullying’. It’s beyond a joke. This campaign does not resolve bullying, it merely tells lies about the so-called marginalised ‘trans kids’.
There is no such thing as a ‘trans child’, or a ‘rainbow child’. Any attempt to label children as such is sexualising them. It’s basing their identity on their sexual preferences.
Children do not have sexual preferences. Children are not to be treated as sexual beings. Adults who encourage children to label themselves with sexual identities should be no-where near children. Let kids be kids. When will enough be enough, parents??
The very activity of ‘pink shirt day’ is a bullying coercive tactic. It’s well past time that more people find their voices on this.
Read the recent post from Let Kids Be Kids on Pink Shirt day…
Let Kids Be Kids and Penny Marie
Editor’s Note in The Coromandel Informer: Richard Shelford-Woodcock is currently on leave from his role as chair of the Mercury Bay Community Board. A number in the wider Mercury Bay community contacted Richard in his role as chair with their concerns as parents. They were asking for their voices to be heard. Richard has a child at Whenuakite School.This article was originally published by pennymarie.nz.
