- Hon Brooke van Velden
Minister of Internal Affairs Brooke van Velden says the Department of Internal Affairs [the Department] is taking action to better protect children and young people from harmful child offenders working in schools.
"The Department has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the New Zealand Teaching Council to improve information sharing arrangements about individuals working in schools who are under investigation for offences relating to child sex abuse material", says Ms van Velden.
"The current process requires the Department to notify the New Zealand Police who then contact the Teaching Council. This change means the Department shares information directly with the Teaching Council so they can immediately intervene, resulting in faster action to protect children from potential harm."
"The safety of children and young people is a top priority for this Government. This is a common sense action to protect students by removing potential offenders from the school environment as soon as possible."
The change also allows the Department to share intelligence on trends in child exploitation that could assist in investigations affecting schools, as well as the Teaching Council sharing information with the Department about educators under investigation for digital activities that endanger children.
"This agreement will be effective immediately and sets the foundation for ongoing cooperation between the two organisations to improve the safety of children and young people."
The Department will also continue to notify the New Zealand Police directly.
