Fresh allegation against a broadcasting school student referred to police

This comes after a tumultuous year for the school. Photo / 123rf

A fresh allegation levelled against a student at the New Zealand Broadcasting School has been referred to police.

The school, which is part of the Ara Institute of Canterbury, has confirmed the recent allegation against a student has been referred to authorities for consideration.

"Ara is aware of an allegation that has been made about a student from the New Zealand Broadcasting School (NZBS). The alleged incident did not take place on campus, or at any Ara facilities, and it did not take place during formal Ara learning activities."

One student told the Herald the situation involved alleged inappropriate touching and that the man hadn't been allowed back since the incident earlier this month.

"We are still feeling uneasy about the fact there is a chance he could come back. We wish there had been clearer communication from Ara about the situation.

"After everything us students at broadcasting school have been through with similar cases in the past, and the report this year, we don't want anything like this happening again, and Ara just doesn't seem to be doing much."

The New Zealand Broadcasting School has been the training ground for some of the country's top on-air talent, and for those wanting to be a TV or radio star, it's where you're told you have to be.

Earlier this year an independent report into the school revealed serious allegations including racist comments, sexual harassment, and an atmosphere ripe for bullying behaviour.

The Ara spokesperson told the Herald they would not be providing further information about the alleged incident in the interest of student privacy and fair process.

Ara would not confirm whether the student was no longer attending class, and did not address the details of the accusation.

"Whenever Ara is made aware of any matter that could impact safety in our learning environments, we are committed to acting decisively to ensure the health, safety and wellbeing of all our learners and staff," they told the Herald.

The student accused of misconduct has also been approached for comment.

In an email to students before a meeting with students about the situation, Art + Design manager Kathryn McCully said they understand it was an "incredibly difficult time" and said students could make use of support services available.

In Ara's response to Herald enquiries the spokesperson emphasised their priority was to ensure the health, safety and wellbeing of all Ara students.

"Following the release of the NZBS investigation report earlier this year, Ara accepted all report recommendations and has actively been working to implement these. We have publicly shared all information and provided the most recent update on progress as recently as July."

Overall the investigator made 60 recommendations, and at the time Ara acting chief executive Darren Mitchell said it was simply not acceptable to have the type of behaviours that were reported to Raymond take hold and go unchecked by staff.

"We acknowledge and regret the impact this behaviour has had on a number of our students."

Also detailed in the report was what several students described as a "boys' club" culture, where women at the school frequently felt sexually objectified by comments directly made or inferred by male students in this prevailing culture.

The investigator said that amounted to sexual harassment.