Face of the Day

The leader of a school flagged for using public funds for a group of senior staff’s “professional development” trip to Queenstown has fired back at suggestions the money was used for personal activities.

The Auditor-General released its annual report on New Zealand schools’ 2024 accounts yesterday, revealing 27 schools needed Ministry of Education guarantees for their finances, a fourfold increase from the year prior.

The report noted many schools needed guidance for “sensitive expenditure” and building maintenance plans, while 21 schools were flagged for their use of a $6000-a-year fund available to principals for professional development, coaching and support.

Haeata Community Campus, the site of last week’s school lunch debacle, was among those questioned by the Office of the Auditor-General over funding an $18,500 trip to Queenstown for six staff members.

In a media release this morning, principal Peggy Burrows said “no public money was used for a holiday in Queenstown” and spending was “appropriate, transparent, board-approved, and fully aligned with national guidelines for principal professional development”.

She rejected the characterisation of the trip, saying it was scheduled to coincide with her attendance at the 2024 SPANZ Conference.

NZ Herald