spinofflive
Photos: Supplied; design The Spinoff
Photos: Supplied; design The Spinoff

OPINIONSocietySeptember 16, 2024

We deserve to go to school without worrying the roof will fall on us

Photos: Supplied; design The Spinoff
Photos: Supplied; design The Spinoff

The Ministry of Education knew the biggest building at Wellington Girls’ College wasn’t up to earthquake safety standards, but didn’t inform staff or students they were at risk. That’s not good enough, says year 12 student Orla Sweeney.

Wellington Girls’ College is an all-girls school that was considered decile 10 under the old guidelines and had a pretty good reputation. Minimal press coverage, a good NCEA turnout and some quality reviews from others meant that my parents were happy with sending me there.

One thing to note, though, was that when I arrived, WGC had begun to have some huge building issues. In 2019 the main block, Tower, had been found to meet only 15% of New Building Standards (NBS). The school was told it needed to be torn down for safety reasons and that new classes would be put on the field for the time being. Coming from a primary that had been a building site most of my time there, I thought I would be used to the bashes of hammers and the smell of sawdust, so I walked in on my first day of year 9 with my pinafore far below my knees, a backpack half my size, and a pep in my step. So naive.

While I’ve been at WGC, we’ve been hit with some surprisingly rough stuff. A lockdown in year 9, the parliament protests down the road in year 10, and the teacher strikes in year 11. But coming into year 12, I had this quiet confidence that this was our year. No outbreaks, no riots and no strikes. No disruptions. Turns out I was wrong. Very, very wrong.

We were led to believe that our only earthquake-prone building (one under 34% of NBS) was the Pipitea block and that it was still safe to work in. We continued to learn, blissfully unaware that at any moment, a different roof could collapse on us.

In early August, we found out that a large chunk of our current biggest building, which held up to 360 people, met only 15% of NBS. This was discovered by accident in a document the Board of Trustees learned of in which the Ministry of Education suggested the Brook block may be unsafe and earthquake prone.

When the Ministry of Education found out its Wellington headquarters met only 25% of the building standards, they were very quick to move staff to a new building. The ministry has known about our likely earthquake rating since at least 2020. That’s four years during which they could’ve done something, but instead they sat in silence. 

A quote from secretary of education Iona Holsted that stood out was, “We will keep our staff updated and connected throughout the process [of what would happen]”. Why were we not updated about our own building, where more than 360 people could’ve been at risk? A fellow year 12 student, Lucy Hansen, had similar thoughts. “Four years they have known about the risk posed to our students and staff, letting us go to school completely oblivious. Four years. Do our lives mean that little to them?” 

In August, Wellington Girls’ students protested by setting up classes on parliament’s lawn (Photo: Supplied)

Why should I feel scared to go to school? I’m pretty sure it’s not a part of the universal high school experience to be afraid that tomorrow will be the day the once-in-a-1,000-year earthquake strikes and the roof collapses on top of me. The ministry has let me down by refusing to address the problem. Our school is already small enough. Unlike our brother school, Wellington College, we do not have a spare field to put prefab classrooms on. The hallways are congested and the heating doesn’t work and the ground is covered in trip hazards. We do not have the time, space or resources to make all these problems go away as quickly and quietly as the Ministry of Education would like.

I’m a student rep, which means we look at the problems in our school and how we can try to lessen them. Once we had come back from derived grades (which had to be held in Sky Stadium due to our lack of space – at least the ministry could arrange this for us), all the reps in my year group got together and had a conversation about what we wanted done. Many suggestions and wishes were thrown into the ring but for most of us it came down to two things. We want the Ministry of Education to apologise and to make a real promise. We deserve a ministry rep to come to our school and assure us that we will get the buildings we deserve. I deserve to go to school in buildings that aren’t at risk of killing me. Future students deserve a school that is safe and sturdy. 

We also want the Ministry of Education to say sorry for the way we were treated, and that they will do better. Not only for us, but for all schools across the country. We do not want your apologies that somehow end up pinning the blame on us and absolve all your actions. We want a real apology, where the faults of the Ministry of Education are owned up to by the Ministry of Education. Is that really too much to ask?

‘Hutt Valley, Kāpiti, down to the south coast. Our Wellington coverage is powered by members.’
Joel MacManus
— Wellington editor
Keep going!
a red background with ripped paper showing crosses and quote marks
Image: The Spinoff

SocietySeptember 16, 2024

Most people approve of compensating survivors – and more findings from new polling on the abuse in care inquiry

a red background with ripped paper showing crosses and quote marks
Image: The Spinoff

Polling conducted for The Spinoff shows that a majority of the public supports financial compensation for survivors – even if they don’t know much about what is in the final report of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in Care.

An estimated 200,000 children and adults were abused in state and faith-based care between 1950 and 1999, with the details laid out in a harrowing 3,000-word final report from the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in Care in late July. New polling from Talbot Mills, conducted for The Spinoff between August 7 and 19, shows that a slim majority of New Zealanders are aware of the report. The polling also reveals that most people, especially those aware of the report, support financial compensation for survivors.

While the inquiry was widely covered in the media, and more than 1,500 witnesses gave evidence to the commission during the multi-year process, the polling found that public knowledge was limited. The key period of the inquiry, as set out in the terms of reference, was between 1950 and 1999; because much of the abuse happened further in the past, perhaps it’s unsurprising that older people knew more about the report – or because older people watch more linear TV and listen to broadcast radio, and so may know more about local news.

Only 31% of 18 to 29-year-olds had heard of the report, while 78% of those 60-plus knew about it. Overall, more than half of people polled had heard of the report, reflecting the greater awareness from older groups.

The interim and final reports of the inquiry make for harrowing reading, describing in detail how many thousands of vulnerable people were abused by institutions that should have protected them. The polling found, however, that while a majority of people had heard of the inquiry, most people didn't know much about its details. When people who had heard of the report were asked how much they knew about it, only 7% of people said they knew "a lot". Twenty-one percent of the 1,201 people surveyed as a whole thought they knew a fair amount about the inquiry, with the majority of people who were aware of the report saying they knew "not that much" about it.

While older people were more aware of the abuse in care inquiry as a whole, younger people were more likely to support financial compensation for survivors. Overall, a majority of people thought that financial compensation was needed. When told to ignore how much they did or didn't know about the inquiry, 65% of 18 to 29-year-olds polled in favour of compensation, while only 47% of those 60-plus supported compensation.

Left-leaning voters were also much more in favour of financial compensation. The polling asked people who they had voted for at the last election, meaning that people's opinions about whether survivors should be compensated by the government could be cross-referenced against their political leanings. The results fell distinctly along party lines; just 21% of Act voters thought victims should be compensated, while 79% of Te Pāti Māori voters thought compensation was in order.

But wait there's more!