Dear Parents / Caregivers,
 

Today the Tauranga Boys’ College Board of Trustees issues a formal and public apology to victims of a historic case of sexual propositions by a teacher at the school.
 

Although the incidents happened in the mid 1980s and some of those involved in the case or in the subsequent investigation have now passed away, more recent developments have encouraged the Board to issue an apology directly to the known complainant and via the media in case there are other boys who were subjected to this behaviour that we are not aware of.

 
We apologise on behalf of the College to the victims for the original misconduct by the teacher involved. At the time of the incidents of sexual propositions there was an investigation, the parents of the victims were involved, the Police and Department of Education were informed, the appropriate process was followed, no charges were laid, and the teacher involved left the school. However, there was no public apology.
 
Decisions made followed practices of the time. If the same misconduct was discovered today a very different process would take place, involving both the Teaching Council and the Police.
 
Recently, historical cases of sexual abuse and misconduct in schools have come to light, partly as a result of the Abuse in Care Royal Commission of Inquiry which is ongoing. Several schools around the country have issued apologies as cases have been uncovered and heard in the Courts.
 
Following a complaint to the current Board late last year by one of the 1980s victims, an independent lawyer was engaged to review the original investigation. The review involved interviewing the former Board Chair and former College Principal. However, the complainant and other victims were not interviewed, and their experiences and impact were not addressed by the review (as this was beyond the scope of the review).  We accept that this review was insufficient, and we have apologised directly to the complainant for the shortcomings of this review.
 
Our media statement contains the following: “On behalf of the Tauranga Boys’ College Board of Trustees, today I want to acknowledge and apologise for historical cases of sexual propositions to former students by a former staff member. We are sorry to all former students who suffered abuse while in our care. While nothing we do as a school can erase history, we want to do what we can to help those still living and suffering from any long-term effects of past abuses.”
 
The College has always accepted the allegations of sexual propositions by a former teacher. The boys who came forward were brave to do so and were believed at the time. What happened to them was not OK.  We know parents trust schools to provide safe environments for their children.
 
We remain committed to ensuring the safety and wellbeing of our students and we encourage anyone with any concerns to contact our Principal, Robert Mangan, at: principal@tbc.school.nz

 
Board of Trustees
Tauranga Boys' College