More insiders step forward to join official inquiry into education agency practices

UPDATE - follow-up to Whistleblowers offer to aid Education Ministry probe: Nine people with inside knowledge have contacted RNZ to support an ongoing investigation by the Office of the Ombudsman regarding ministry record-keeping practices.

Insider Claims

The Ombudsman's inquiry began after a leaked video showed a ministry manager telling staff to avoid putting contact with the Education Minister's office in writing. Nine people from different areas of the agency corroborated claims that managers routinely told staff to avoid written records to bypass the Official Information Act. Sources included staff from the curriculum centre, which recently faced a negative workplace culture report, and others who said a culture of secrecy was widespread. Three sources confirmed they plan to contact the Ombudsman with protected disclosures, while a former staff member named Claire Coleman has already offered to participate.

Official Investigation

Chief Ombudsman John Allen formally notified the ministry of the inquiry, stating he will examine administrative conduct and compliance with the Official Information Act and the Public Records Act. Allen noted he will investigate whether curriculum centre staff deliberately failed to create records or were told not to do so, while clarifying he will not review the substantive advice or decisions regarding the curriculum itself. In response to the Ombudsman's probe, the Education Ministry dropped plans for its own internal inquiry, though it stated the leaked video comments did not meet its expectations.

Curriculum Concerns

Coleman and several anonymous insiders criticized the curriculum rewrite process as politicized, secretive, and heavily influenced by an Australian firm called Learning First. Sources stated that Learning First played a major role in drafting curriculums, with some ministry staff flown to Melbourne to work with the company, and that staff were told not to reveal that the firm authored the content. Insiders expressed concern that the new curriculum is overly restrictive, outdated, and compromised by the government's ideological position.

Context

Ombudsman investigations look into administrative conduct and public sector transparency rather than political decisions. Public agencies are legally required under New Zealand law to create and maintain proper records of their official activities.