Manager appointed to Rotorua Boys' High

Abigail Hartevelt | 4th February 2010

Complaints surrounding the exclusion of three students from Rotorua Boys' High School's hostel has led to the appointment of a limited statutory manager.

The Ministry of Education has appointed Dennis Finn, originally of Rotorua, as statutory manager of the school.

The school's board of trustees chairman, Phil Carling, confirmed the appointment yesterday when contacted by The Daily Post and said the board met him for the first time on January 22.

Mr Carling would not go into detail as to why Mr Finn had been appointed and referred any further questions to Mr Finn.

However, Rotorua Boys' High School principal Chris Grinter said the board had engaged a limited statutory manager to help them in resolving three complaints relating to the exclusion last year of students from the school's hostel.

He would not go into detail about each of the cases but said each case was a "little bit different".

While the complaints impacted on management of the school it was business as usual for the rest of the school.

He said having a limited statutory manager would be good for the school and would provide support for the board as they "grapple with these challenges," Mr Grinter said.

 "I'm comfortable with the process," he said.

Mr Grinter has been principal at the school since 1991.

According to the ministry, a limited statutory manager was appointed with specific functions, powers and duties of the board vested in them.

The powers had been temporarily removed from the board.

They could also be appointed with specific advisory powers, again which the board is required to act upon.

Limited statutory managers worked closely with the board and the principal.

Mr Finn told The Daily Post yesterday he had been appointed by the ministry but did not want to go into detail at this stage about what the issues were at the school and he still had to "scope the work".

"I hope to have it cleaned up in a couple of weeks, that part of it, and then we will be working through the work that needs to happen."

 Mr Finn who was based in Waikato, had held statutory roles in about 25 schools in the past 10 years, including Tauhara College in Taupo and Cambridge High School.