Concerned parents of Pukekohe North School pupils have met to discuss what they say are issues over the school's board of trustees. The school has roughly 80% children of Māori heritage.
One mother, Raemon Mātene, has been fighting the board for more recognition of the needs of whānau Māori since 2019.
"My experience with the board has been around the lack of engagement with whānau, the lack of Māori representation around the table and the lack of any action to assist in supporting our whānau."
For two years this long-time resident of Pukekohe has been fighting the board over its 2019 processes for electing members to the board of trustees. Her group claims some whānau votes weren't counted that year.
"And they were classed as invalid. They did their voting and then they returned them in the same envelope. Those 12 votes supported two community members to sit on the board."
She reached out to numerous people including the Ministry of Education. According to the ministry, the school will look to fix the issues at the next election, which she says isn't much help at this moment.
Parent Kahiwa Moeau is another who says that while there are Māori aspects to the school, she doesn't feel comfortable with what the school is doing.
Pukekohe North Primary recently qualified for Te Mana Kura Tahi in Nelson. Kahiwa says that with only one Māori board member representing whānau, the kapa has had issues that they have had to deal with.
"Coming into the campaign for nationals I didn't think that these challenges would be thrown at us."
"Now I'm having to fight to be Māori and to be a māmā, what is that about?"
The whānau haven't stopped there. Nikita Naea is spearheading a petition to have the board removed.
"The board isn't listening to our children, to families, and our communities. What are they doing? They aren't looking after the children. They are attacking the mana of our kids."
Both the school and its board have been asked for comment but their replies were not received by this story's deadline. A school official had told Te Ao Maori News they were consulting the NZ School Trustees Association before commenting.