Police vetting fee proposed

Western Bay Principals' Association president Dane Robertson said police vetting fee would only add to school's compliance costs bill and it was money which should be spent in the classroom.

Police could soon be able to charge schools for vetting criminal records but Bay principals say the service is necessary to protect students and the education sector should not have to pay.

Acting Police Minister Anne Tolley, who presented The Policing (Cost Recovery) Amendment Bill to Parliament, said police vetting was an "extra service" not core police business.

She said it was appropriate public agencies and public organisations such as education, community services, caregiving and other health services be charged a fee.

Ms Tolley said New Zealand was one of the few countries which did not already charge for the service.

Demand for police vetting checks had almost doubled in the past decade, with about 470,000 requests each year, she said.

"Demand for vetting services is expected to increase with the expansion of criminal history sharing with Australia and mandatory safety checks for paid members of the children's workforce," she said.

A vetting fee of between $5 to $7 had been proposed and costs recovered would be used to enhance the police vetting services, and cost recovery cost would help police to focus on areas that more directly contribute to crime prevention and safer communities, she said.

Kaimai School principal Dane Robertson said paying a vetting fee was not "going to break the bank".

"But there are some larger schools out there that have a considerable amount of staff which in turn would mean the costs would start to add up, particularly if there is a high staff turnover.

"What is important to remember is every cent spent out of the classroom is money taken away from direct learning resources," he said.

Mr Robertson, who is also president of Western Bay of Plenty Principals Association, said he hoped the government would ensure the Ministry of Education absorbed this extra compliance cost as the police checks were undertaken as a legal safeguard for students.

Arataki Primary principal Dene Lindsay and Brookfield School principal Robert Hyndman said they wanted to see the Ministry of Education pick up the tab or schools be exempted as the vetting checks were mandatory under the Education Act, and regularly monitored by the Education Review Office.

Mount Maunganui College principal Russell Gordon said he was surprised by the move as it was a legal requirement to do these checks.