New Zealand Chief Ombudsman investigates Ministry of Education transparency allegations

The Chief Ombudsman, John Allen, has requested an urgent meeting with the Secretary for Education following allegations that Ministry of Education staff were encouraged to avoid written communications to evade scrutiny under the Official Information Act (OIA).

A leaked video reportedly shows a senior staff member, Catherine Law, instructing employees not to record feedback from the Education Minister’s office in writing regarding draft secondary school curricula. The footage suggests staff were advised to use passive verbs to make it appear that feedback originated from the curriculum centre rather than the Minister’s office.

A whistleblower has claimed these incidents are not isolated, alleging that staff have been verbally instructed multiple times a year to keep communications off the record. The whistleblower also alleged that staff were repeatedly asked to verbally remove Māori terms, such as ‘ākonga’ and ‘kaiako’, and the word ‘Aotearoa’, from draft documents.

These allegations arise as the Waitangi Tribunal recently found that the Crown breached multiple Treaty principles during the curriculum reform process due to a lack of meaningful engagement with Māori. The Ombudsman is currently considering whether to launch a broader investigation under the Ombudsmen Act 1975.