A video has recently been circulating online showing Ngāruawāhia High Schools Principal (Bex Hodgson) making comments about the Kīngitanga during a teachers’ gathering. Many tauira, whānau, locals, and members of the wider community viewed the comments as culturally insensitive and disrespectful, particularly given Ngāruawāhia’s deep connection to the Kīngitanga.

Concerns were formally raised with the Board of Trustees on 29 April requesting accountability and a formal apology. In response, a process was outlined stating the Principal would be informed of the complaint and given five business days to seek advice before an informal meeting would take place.

Since then, communication has been limited and unclear. Follow up emails requesting updates and clarification on whether the outlined process had been followed received delayed responses, including statements that the matter was “slow-moving” and “under investigation.”

To date, there has been no formal apology, no visible accountability, and little transparency around how the concerns raised by students and whānau are being addressed.

For many in the community, the situation feels dismissed rather than resolved. The lack of action has contributed to feelings of hurt, frustration, and disappointment among tauira and whānau who believe Māori voices and concerns should be treated with greater respect and urgency, especially within a school located in the heart of the Kīngitanga.

We believe the situation has damaged confidence in the principal’s ability to effectively lead a school that serves and represents a community with strong connections to the Kīngitanga.we are calling for her to stand down from her position and for the Board of trustees to begin a process that restores trust, transparency, and upholds all that it stands for.