Man Who Shared Christchurch Mosque Attack Footage Standing for School Board
Arps was sentenced to 21 months’ imprisonment in 2019 after he sent a video of the mosque killings to 30 people and asked a friend to modify it by adding cross-hairs and a “kill count”.
He is one of nine people contesting five parent trustee roles at Te Aratai College, which is 850m from Linwood Islamic Center where worshippers were killed and injured in the mass terror shooting on March 15, 2019.
Arps’ attempt to join the school board has prompted calls for the rules to be changed, as they provide “no safeguards against extremist parents”.
In 2016, Arps delivered a severed pig's head to Masjid An-Nur (Al-Noor mosque). Recently he has aligned himself with the anti-vaccine mandate movement.
He served six months in jail for sharing the mosque attack footage. He was also banned from Christchurch’s two mosques and from having contact with all Muslims.
However, he is eligible to stand as a school board member as his prison sentence was under two years.
Te Aratai College principal Dick Edmondson would not comment on Arps, beyond confirming his candidacy.
“He is legally entitled to stand for the board and has done so.”
The east Christchurch school – which was formerly called Linwood College – has a high proportion of Māori, Pacific and Asian students – 478 (63%) of its 754 roll.
The school’s diversity is one of its “major strengths”, said Edmondson.
“It is no longer the 1950s and the world is a small place. Having an awareness and understanding of difference is part of the interconnected world.”
Boards oversee the governance of a school and are responsible for employing all staff, including the hiring and firing of principals.
Te Aratai’s Board of Trustees (BoT) election is now open and will run until September 7, with parents able to vote online or by post.
Finlay Laird, presiding member of parent representatives, said the school community will decide who fills the roles “through the election process”.
“It is up to them to decide which candidates share their personal values and will continue to govern the College through the school policies, to ensure every student receives the best education possible.”
The board has appointed Canterbury Education Services as the returning officer for the election, “so they would have ensured the nomination form was in order and that all candidates met the eligibility criteria”, he said.
“The school or board do not consider applications and the election is governed by the relevant sections of the Education Act.”
A spokesperson for the Ministry of Education said you cannot become an elected, appointed, or co-opted board member “if you have been convicted of an offence punishable by imprisonment for a term of two years or more”.
“A person must attest to the board that they comply with this requirement.”
Former MP Liz Gordon, who now operates a social justice research organization, said the rules needed to be updated to better ensure board members are appropriate.
In a blog post, she said “there is nothing in the rules about being of good character”.
“There are no child safety or child wellbeing protections and no safeguards against extremist parents.
“I cannot imagine a worse fate (for Te Aratai College) than having to deal with a white supremacist on the board.”
Lorraine Kerr, president of New Zealand School Trustees Association (NZSTA), said although she couldn't comment on the Te Aratai College election, it was “extremely important” that the right people are elected to school boards.
“You have to be empathetic, have financial nous and, most of all, you have to care,” she said.
"The decisions boards take impact on kids' education and therefore the future of this country.
“The principal becomes the employee of the board.”
However, taking a prospective board member’s character into consideration was "beyond the scope" of what the organization could do, she said. “All NZSTA can do is advise on what legislation says.”
Arps did not respond to a request for comment.
Te Aratai College moved to its new site in May and was officially opened by New Zealand’s Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern in June.
According to the school’s website, “board members guide the school leadership”.
“This is an important job, and it is important that it is done by people well-connected to the school. You should want to understand how the school works at a governance level.”
The rules around who is eligible to be a school board member are outlined in the Education and Training Act.
Source: stuff.co.nz
