Governance

It is a legal requirement for all schools to be governed by a Board of Trustees.  The board is a crown entity and is responsible for the governance of the school and ensuring the National Education Guidelines are met. The legal, financial, and ethical obligations of the school boards of trustees are set out in a number of different Acts of Parliament.   The Education Act 1989 specifies some accountabilities that provide the government with assurance that high quality learning programmes are offered at the school and that resources are being used effectively and efficiently.  

Board trustees are appointed in a set of elections managed by the school under the guidance of the ministry of education.

The responsibilities of the board are clearly set out in section 75 of the Education Act 1989.
s.75 Boards to control management of schools -
Except to the extent that nay enactment or the general law of New Zealand provides otherwise, a school's board has completed discretion to control the management of the school as it thinks fit.

Other relevant legislation includes: the State Sector Act 1988, the Crown Entities Act 2004, the Official Information Act 1982, the Privacy Act 1993, the Health and Safety in Employment Act 1992, the Human Rights Act 1993, and the New Zealand bill of Rights Act 1993.  Acts of Parliaments can be accessed at www.legislation.govt.nz

It is the responsibility of the board to publish annually a school charter.  The charter establishes the mission, aims, objectives, directions and targets of the board that will give effect to the Government's national education guidelines and the Boards priorities.    It is an undertaking by the Board to the Minister of Education to ensure that the school is managed, organised, conducted, and administered for the purposes set out.  

Each year the board is required to prepare an annual report, this legal requirement along with the minimum to be included is contained in the Education Act 1989 and the Crown Entities Act 2004.  Effectively this is to ensure the board is publically accountable for how the school’s revenue is spend and for the use and maintenance of the school’s buildings and land, which are crown resources.

Boards are also responsible for:

• Roll returns

• Being a good employer

• Safety and Education Outside the Classroom

• Emergency Management Planning

• School Programmes located off site.

The standard constitution of a board of trustees is:

• 5 parent elected representatives

• the principal

• a staff representative

• co opted trustees

The number of parent representatives can be altered if required to meet the needs of the school.  The membership of the board of trustees can also be altered to better reflect the school community it serves.