Police interview pupils of female teacher accused of grooming at Auckland primary school

• Police are interviewing children at a north Auckland primary school about a teacher accused of grooming and sexual assault.
• The teacher, in her 30s, faces charges of indecent assault and grooming, with a court appearance on November 15.
• Parents have expressed frustration over the lack of information.

Police are interviewing children at the north Auckland primary school where a teacher accused of grooming and sexually assaulting a young child worked.

The teacher, who held a senior position, was charged by police last month and now faces criminal charges before the courts.

A letter obtained by the Herald sent to parents of pupils at the respective levels the teacher taught, said police would be attending the school yesterday and today to interview the students about being “potentially affected”.

The letter asked for the parents’ consent to interview their child and instructed them to not speak about the specific teacher.

It also instructed parents not to post or allow their child to post about the interview on social media.

It said parents would be contacted if there were any “concerns” in the interview.

The teacher, who is in her 30s, has been charged with the indecent assault of a boy under 12 and grooming for sexual conduct with a young person.

“An investigation was launched after the matter was reported to police last month. The woman has been remanded on bail and is due to reappear in North Shore District Court on November 15,” police told the Herald.

The offending is alleged to have occurred in August and September.

If convicted of the charges, the woman faces up to 10 years in jail.

The Herald understands a public meeting was held between the school, the community, and police on Monday night. However, parents told the Herald they were frustrated by the lack of available information.

The Teaching Council website notes the teacher embroiled in the allegations has “voluntarily agreed not to teach”.

The names of the teacher and school are suppressed.

The Herald attempted to contact the school but has not received a response.

Police said inquiries were ongoing, with support from Oranga Tamariki.

“As the matter is before the court, police will not be providing any further details.”

Ministry of Education leader of operations and integration Sean Teddy said the school or early learning service was the organisation that responded to issues where a family was affected by an alleged crime in a school by an adult. This was done in consultation with police and/or Oranga Tamariki, Teddy said.

“If the Police and/or Oranga Tamariki are investigating and responding then they advise the school on any communications, to ensure legal processes are complied with.

“If the Ministry of Education is informed by a parent of an allegation of a crime by an adult in a school setting we would advise the parent to inform Police and/or Oranga Tamariki and the school about their concerns.”

The ministry’s traumatic incident service was available to schools and worked closely with school leadership to help them navigate what is needed by the school community after an allegation of a crime by an adult.

Rachel Maher is an Auckland-based reporter who covers breaking news. She has worked for the Herald since 2022.

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