Latest news with #BruceKearney
RNZ News
6 days ago
- Politics
- RNZ News
Prosecuting parents of truant kids pointless
children education 44 minutes ago Pushing to prosecute parents of chronically truant kids is a pointless exercise according to one school principal. Associate Education Minister David Seymour is leading the government charge to get more kids back in class. He's announced the Education Ministry is proactively contacting schools and attendance officers to make sure parents of chronically absent students are referred to them for possible prosecution. Rangiora High School Principal Bruce Kearney spoke to Lisa Owen.
Otago Daily Times
26-05-2025
- Otago Daily Times
'Kids do dumb things': Principal speaks out against keyboard warriors after assault at school
All schools grapple with ''challenging student behaviour'', and it is not helped by social media outbursts, a Canterbury principal says. Rangiora High School principal Bruce Kearney said he felt for his colleagues after critics took to social media following an incident at Oxford Area School last week. A student was taken to Christchurch Hospital with injuries after being allegedly assaulted by another student at Oxford Area School on Wednesday. Student taken to hospital after assault 'Heartfelt support' for student Challenging behaviour happened in all schools and most followed restorative processes when addressing the behaviour, he said. ''Kids do dumb things and our role is to teach them the consequences of their actions,'' he said. ''We try to hold young people to account for their actions in a kind and positive way. ''But social media isn't interested in that.'' He said people should not assume every ''unpleasant incident is bullying''. ''Bullying is ongoing emotional abuse and it happens everywhere and not just in schools,'' Mr Kearney said. ''It happens in the workplace, in the home, out in the community and online.'' While some social media critics wanted schools to return to corporal punishment, Mr Kearney said it was not the answer. ''It is teaching a student, 'I'm going to hit you because you hit someone else'.'' Like politicians, Mr Kearney said school principals were often targets of online abuse, including death threats. Rangiora High School was one of several schools to participate in the recent Pink Shirt Day, he said. Oxford Area School board of trustees presiding member Aaron Campbell referred enquiries about the incident at OAS to principal Mike Hart. In a statement, Mr Hart said the school was following its procedures to work through the incident. He asked the community to contact the school if they had any concerns or questions. ''Our thoughts and heartfelt support are with the student and their whānau during this time. ''We know this may be unsettling, and we are doing everything we can to ensure the wellbeing of all involved.'' Rangiora High School board of trustees presiding member Simon Green said schools have always grappled with ''challenging student behaviour'', which is an emotive topic. He said the board worked with school leadership to ensure bullying was addressed promptly and constructively, with ''a focus on restoring relationships and building a culture of respect and accountability''. A Ministry of Education spokesperson said staff had been in contact with Oxford Area School and were confident school staff were following appropriate procedures. Oxford Area School has students from years 1 to 13. Local Democracy Reporting noted several Oxford Facebook pages had blocked comments on the incident. By David Hill, Local Democracy Reporter ■ LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.
Scoop
24-05-2025
- Scoop
‘Kids Do Dumb Things': Principal Speaks Out Against Keyboard Warriors
All schools grapple with ''challenging student behaviour'', and it is not helped by social media outbursts, a North Canterbury principal says. Rangiora High School principal Bruce Kearney said he felt for his colleagues, after critics took to social media following an incident this week at Oxford Area School. A student was taken to Christchurch Hospital with injuries after being allegedly assaulted by another student at Oxford Area School on Wednesday, media reported. Challenging behaviour happened in all schools and most followed restorative processes when addressing the behaviour, he said. ''Kids do dumb things and our role is to teach them the consequences of their actions,'' he said. ''We try to hold young people to account for their actions in a kind and positive way. ''But social media isn't interested in that.'' He said people should not assume every ''unpleasant incident is bullying''. ''Bullying is ongoing emotional abuse and it happens everywhere and not just in schools,'' Mr Kearney said. ''It happens in the workplace, in the home, out in the community and online.'' While some social media critics wanted schools to return to corporal punishment, Mr Kearney said it was not the answer. ''It is teaching a student, 'I'm going to hit you because you hit someone else'.'' Like politicians, Mr Kearney said school principals were often targets of online abuse, including death threats. Rangiora High School was one of several schools to participate in the recent Pink Shirt Day, he said. Oxford Area School board of trustees presiding member Aaron Campbell referred enquiries about the incident at OAS to principal Mike Hart. In a statement, Mr Hart said the school was following its procedures to work through the incident. He asked the community to contact the school if they had any concerns or questions. ''Our thoughts and heartfelt support are with the student and their whānau during this time. ''We know this may be unsettling, and we are doing everything we can to ensure the wellbeing of all involved.'' Rangiora High School board of trustees presiding member Simon Green said schools have always grappled with ''challenging student behaviour'', which is an emotive topic. He said the board worked with school leadership to ensure bullying was addressed promptly and constructively, with ''a focus on restoring relationships and building a culture of respect and accountability''. A Ministry of Education spokesperson said staff had been in contact with Oxford Area School and were confident school staff were following appropriate procedures. Oxford Area School has students from years 1 to 13.
RNZ News
24-05-2025
- RNZ News
Principal speaks out against keyboard warriors after alleged assault
Oxford Area School principal Mike Hart. Photo: David Hill / North Canterbury News All schools grapple with ''challenging student behaviour'' and it is not helped by social media outbursts, a North Canterbury principal says. Rangiora High School principal Bruce Kearney said he felt for his colleagues, when critics took to social media following an incident this week at Oxford Area School. A student was taken to Christchurch Hospital with injuries, after being reportedly assaulted by another Oxford Area School student on Wednesday. Challenging behaviour happened in all schools and most followed restorative processes when addressing the behaviour, Kearney said. ''Kids do dumb things and our role is to teach them the consequences of their actions,'' he said. ''We try to hold young people to account for their actions in a kind and positive way, but social media isn't interested in that.'' He said people should not assume every ''unpleasant incident is bullying''. ''Bullying is ongoing emotional abuse, and it happens everywhere and not just in schools. It happens in the workplace, in the home, out in the community and online.'' While some social media critics wanted schools to return to corporal punishment, Kearney said that was not the answer. ''It is teaching a student, 'I'm going to hit you, because you hit someone else'.'' Rangiora High School presiding board member Simon Green and principal Bruce Kearney. Photo: LDR / David Hill Like politicians, Kearney said school principals were often targets of online abuse, including death threats. Rangiora High School was one of several schools to participate in the recent Pink Shirt Day. Oxford Area School board of trustees presiding member Aaron Campbell referred enquiries about the incident at OAS to principal Mike Hart. In a statement, Hart said the school was following its procedures to work through the incident. He asked the community to contact the school, if they with any concerns or questions. ''Our thoughts and heartfelt support are with the student and their whānau during this time. ''We know this may be unsettling, and we are doing everything we can to ensure the wellbeing of all involved.'' Rangiora High School board of trustees presiding member Simon Green said schools had always grappled with ''challenging student behaviour'', which was an emotive topic. He said the board worked with school leadership to ensure bullying was addressed promptly and constructively, with ''a focus on restoring relationships and building a culture of respect and accountability''. A Ministry of Education spokesperson said staff had been in contact with Oxford Area School and were confident school staff were following appropriate procedures. Oxford Area School has students from years 1-13. Local Democracy Reporting noted several Oxford Facebook pages had blocked comments on the incident. LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.
NZ Herald
19-05-2025
- Sport
- NZ Herald
First XV rugby shakeup shock: South Island boys schools plot breakaway competition
The new competition would, therefore, include up to eight schools across Canterbury and Tasman, and six schools in Otago and Southland. 'We are excited about the impact this could have on our boys and communities.' Christchurch Boys' High School drive hard against Southland Boys' High School. Photo / Supplied At present, the top schools in the Crusaders catchment area contest the Miles Toyota Premiership. This season includes Nelson College, Marlborough Boys' College, Christchurch Boys' High School, Christ's College, St Thomas of Canterbury College, St Bede's College, St Andrew's College, Shirley Boys' High School, Rangiora High School and Selwyn Schools Combined. Timaru Boys' High School is contesting the lower tier championship, but are favoured to gain promotion back to the top tier this season. In the Highlanders' catchment, it's the Freeman Roofing Southern Schools Rugby Championship. There are 18 teams split across three divisions, with the top tier this season involving Southland Boys' High School's First and Second XVs, King's High School, Otago Boys' High School, John McGlashan College and Dunstan High School. The new structure would exclude co-ed schools like Rangiora High School, the Selwyn Combined Schools, St Andrew's College and Dunstan High School. Rangiora High School and St Andrew's College confirmed they had not been included in the proposed competition. 'I've not heard so much as a murmur,' said Bruce Kearney, Rangiora High School principal. Rangiora High School principal Bruce Kearney. The snub comes after co-ed schools had a weekend to remember against traditional powerhouse boys' schools. Dunstan High School in Alexandra travelled to Dunedin to tip up their more fancied opponents – Otago Boys' High School. Dunstan's 22-19 win was celebrated well beyond Central Otago, with Feilding High School congratulating their fellow co-ed school on social media. In Rolleston on Saturday, it was a similar story with Selwyn Schools Combined coming from behind to beat St Bede's College 18-12. Turning with the wind at their backs in the second half, the home side had all the momentum and sealed the game with a late try. Selwyn Schools will cease to exist in 2026 with Rolleston College electing to go it alone. Lincoln High School, Darfield High School, Ellesmere College and Akaroa Area School plan to continue in a new arrangement. It was almost three big scalps for the co-ed schools with Rangiora High School falling just short of spoiling rugby's return to Christ's College's Upper Field in a 38-37 win for College. Under a single-sex competition, their students could miss out on top-tier schoolboy rugby. That's long been an issue for certain schools in both regions. The flow-on effect is that those schools are prone to either losing their brightest rugby talent to bigger schools, by choice or by scholarship, or they're never even considered as an option by those who are in-zone but enrol elsewhere. Harrison Inch (holding trophy) and Saumaki Saumaki (right), two of the standout players for Nelson College in 2024. Photo / JDW Photography Details of how the competition would work aren't yet known, but combining the entire South Island would require a huge amount of travel. Invercargill to Nelson is a 12-and-a-half hour drive – or an expensive exercise by plane. But travel isn't something the top sides shy away from. Southland Boys' High School First XV coach Jason Dermody told the Herald last month that his side needs to travel to face the best opposition, referring to the distance that they'd travelled in pre-season. 'We've got to travel to play the best teams because if we just play the teams down here, we just think we're good,' said Dermody at the time. Southland Boys' High School First XV coach Jason Dermody. Photo / Debbie Fahey Photography His side had travelled to Auckland and Christchurch for matches with King's College and CBHS in preseason. Last year, they made the trip to Nelson to contest the South Island final. That could become a more familiar journey under the proposed competition. It will be a bold pathway, both literally and figuratively, for the single-sex collective. 'At the heart of this kaupapa is a shared desire to enhance the experience of boys' education. These ideas are still in development, and we are working carefully to ensure they reflect the values, needs, and aspirations of all our school communities,' the joint statement read.
