Education Ministry launches review as OIA concerns reach Stanford’s office
September 24, 2026
Summarised by Centrist
An Education Ministry manager allegedly told staff to stop recording teachers’ criticism during curriculum consultation because it could be released under the Official Information Act.
The account raises questions about whether the ministry’s records accurately reflect feedback received, as more whistleblowers challenge the suggestion that attempts to avoid scrutiny were an isolated incident.
A person who attended a hui of about 60 teachers told RNZ that ministry note-takers were instructed to stop during discussion about te reo Māori in the curriculum.
“We were told it was beyond the scope and it would be OIAed and she didn’t want that on there,” the whistleblower said.
Teachers were calling for a better te reo Māori curriculum and more Māori language across other subjects. The whistleblower disputed that the discussion fell outside the consultation’s scope.
Two other people with direct experience of working for the ministry said managers commonly gave verbal instructions on potentially controversial matters, including removing Māori words from curriculum drafts and other documents.
The allegations follow a leaked video showing a senior manager telling staff not to record feedback from Education Minister Erica Stanford’s office. The report does not establish that Stanford directed those instructions.
RNZ now reports that Stanford also refused a teacher’s request for details of curriculum changes she sought, saying her office held no documentation of the discussions. She maintains her response complied with the OIA. The teacher has complained to the Ombudsman, whose guidance says official information can include information held in someone’s memory.
The ministry acknowledged the filmed comments failed its transparency, record-keeping and OIA standards. On Friday, Education Secretary Ellen MacGregor-Reid said she had commissioned a review to establish whether there was a wider problem.
Chief Ombudsman John Allen has expressed “significant concerns” and is considering a broader investigation under the Ombudsmen Act. MacGregor-Reid was due to meet him on Friday morning.
Editor’s note: Similar allegations surfaced under Labour in 2022, when then-MP Gaurav Sharma claimed MPs were coached on avoiding a paper trail to circumvent the OIA. His claims prompted the Chief Ombudsman to seek assurances from Jacinda Ardern. Ardern rejected the allegation, saying the training had been misrepresented. The principle applies whichever party governs: public scrutiny depends on officials keeping an honest record, including of criticism they would rather not release.
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