Camera installed in Tauranga Girls’ College bathroom area leaves students ‘uncomfortable’ and ‘anxious’

A parent of a student at Tauranga Girls' College says students are concerned about a camera installed in a bathroom.

A camera installed in a bathroom area at a girls’ school has left students feeling “uncomfortable” and “anxious”, a parent says.

The Tauranga Girls’ College parent says their daughter had “no idea” about the camera until she went to school on Tuesday morning,“And you go to use the bathroom and there’s a camera watching”.

The school said the camera is in the lobby of a toilet block, does not “intrude” on privacy in toilet cubicles and is there to discourage undesirable behaviour. It also acknowledged the concerns about the camera and that not everyone in its community may have known about it.

The Year 11 student’s parent, who spoke to the Bay of Plenty Times on the condition of anonymity said their daughter and her friends were “uncomfortable” and “quite anxious” about the camera, particularly because they did not know who was on the other end of it.

The parent said they had seen “no consultation” from the school about the camera being installed in a bathroom.

“I understand at school, sometimes, bathrooms can be a bit of a shady place ... but [in my view] that doesn’t give the school the right to film our children in a bathroom without any due process.

“We don’t know who’s on the other end. Are you permanently filming? Are you using it to review footage if needed?

A camera has been installed in a bathroom at Tauranga Girls' College.

“All of those sorts of questions should have been answered first before they went ahead.”

The parent said they were “not necessarily” against the idea of a camera.

“But I am against not including the community and the people who have got to use those bathrooms in the decision-making process.

“If you go to the gym, you can’t film in the locker room ... If I go to the hot pools, I couldn’t do that in the locker room. So why is it okay at a girls’ high school to do that?

“I do understand where the school’s coming from but the school needs to make sure that everybody’s safe.”

They said they guessed it would be an anti-vaping measure or “something along those lines”.

“In my day, it was smoking in the toilets. Nowadays, vaping is the thing.”

Tauranga Girls' College. Photo / Alex Cairns

The school was asked to respond to the parent’s comments and to questions about the camera and consultation about it.

Tauranga Girls’ College acting principal Kylie Valentine said in a statement that a camera was positioned “in the public lobby space of one toilet block”.

“The positioning and reach of this camera does not intrude on the privacy of individuals in toilet cubicles.”

Valentine acknowledged the camera had caused concern for some members of the community, however, its purpose was to “discourage undesirable behaviour” and protect the health and safety of staff and students.

She said the use of security cameras had been stated in school newsletters dating from June 9 onwards.

“We understand communication about this has not been read by all of our community. We are working to strengthen the reach of our communication.”

Valentine said the safety of students and staff remained the school’s “top priority”.

“Positioned alongside every camera is signage indicating there is a camera operating in that space.”

The Bay of Plenty Times Weekend looked at the tumuaki’s panui [principal’s message] in the college’s newsletters, available on its website, going back to June. Each included a note about cameras at school.

The June 9 note read: “I remind you again of the cameras in use at school. A sign that reads ‘camera operating’ indicates where they are positioned. You will see this at reception too.

“Recently, the cameras provided evidence of a 3am theft that took place. The information we captured could then be passed on to the police.

“We are not a ‘gated school’, so occasionally, people take shortcuts through our school despite our signage reminding members of the public not to do so.

“Our cameras are also helpful in capturing vandalism. Cameras are not located in changing rooms or abolition blocks for privacy reasons.”

Some of the subsequent newsletters noted: “Cameras are being trialled in some new sites” and that “cameras are not located in changing rooms or toilet cubicles for privacy reasons but can show sites of gathering, including in those spaces where students should not be”.

Speaking generally, a spokesperson for the Office of the Privacy Commissioner said any organisation using CCTV “must be transparent about what information they are collecting and why”.

“Organisations must only collect personal information if it is for a lawful purpose connected with their functions or activities, and the information is necessary for that purpose.”

They should also ensure safeguards were in place that were reasonable in the circumstances to prevent loss, misuse, or disclosure of personal information collected by the CCTV.

“Before introducing new technologies or practices such as CCTV, we would always recommend that a company or agency engages with their local community to understand any privacy concerns they may have.

“This is of particular importance when the privacy of children is involved.”

One News reported on September 7 that cameras and sensors were being installed in toilet corridors at Rangiora High School in North Canterbury in a bid to crack down on vaping.

Megan Wilson is a health and general news reporter for the Bay of Plenty Times and Rotorua Daily Post. She has been a journalist since 2021.