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Epsom Girls Grammar principal Brenda McNaughton shared a former student’s private information, causing a privacy breach.
Some students claim the school feels like a “prison” and protest changes including increased periods and shorter lunch breaks.
The school is reviewing policies with the … View moreEpsom Girls Grammar principal Brenda McNaughton shared a former student’s private information, causing a privacy breach.
Some students claim the school feels like a “prison” and protest changes including increased periods and shorter lunch breaks.
The school is reviewing policies with the Office of the Privacy Commissioner following the breach.
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A top Auckland school principal has been caught on a secret recording telling staff “when others go low, we choose to go high” after a serious privacy breach involving a former student.
It comes amid a student revolt at Epsom Girls Grammar School (EGGS), with claims the college feels more like a “prison” than a place of learning.
Last Saturday, the Herald revealed principal Brenda McNaughton shared the name and confidential details of a former student who complained about disgraced music teacher Peter Thomas with another student’s father.
Following this reporting, an audio file appearing to be of McNaughton speaking to staff on Monday was provided to the Herald.
In the recording, she allegedly said: “As soon as we were aware of [the breach], we’ve been working with the Office of the Privacy Commissioner and following their advice right throughout.”
The school was reviewing policies and procedures, “certainly not starting from a position of deficit, but continually improving that space”.
She also acknowledged the “good work” she said the school had done regarding privacy.
“We are a large and very diverse community, and, in any large community, there are a small number who do get disgruntled, from time to time.”
The Herald, she told staff, did get one thing right - the description of EGGS as a “top school” in the headline.
“Our job, and what we do here at Epsom Girls Grammar School, is when others go low, we choose to go high.”
Speaking to the Herald on the condition of anonymity, an EGGS staffer said they believed McNaughton hadn’t acknowledged the mistake or taken responsibility.
They also said there had been no apology about the breach to staff.
Following Monday’s staff meeting about the privacy breach, the staffer was in “disbelief”.
“I was just so shocked, I couldn’t believe it.
“I don’t know who she was getting at with that ‘disgruntled’ comment, and, ‘When they go low we go high’. Who has gone low here? You have just been shown not to have been looking after the [privacy breach] victim. No one has gone low, it’s just the truth.”
The worker felt McNaughton cared more about protecting her own privacy than that of the former student.
‘Like a prison’
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On Tuesday, the Herald was sent an email signed by “24 anonymous” EGGS students.
In the correspondence, the students raise a list of grievances, including the increase next year from five daily periods to six, 30-minute lunch breaks and allegedly banning students from wearing thermals under their uniforms.
The email claims the school is trying to work students in to the ground.
The email also raised concerns about the privacy breach and the way confidential information was handled by the school.
The Herald was also sent an image of a poster displayed at the school featuring an image of a smiling man in handcuffs and a headline stating: “When your mum picks you up from school early”.
The poster included an image of McNaughton under the words “prime suspect”.
Underneath was a list taking aim at similar issues to those canvassed in the email.
“We, the students of Epsom Girls Grammar School, are protesting the potential changes in the process being made by principal McNaughton, which have made our school feel more like a prison than a place of learning.”
The document said changes to the timetable would cause confusion, and stricter rules made it harder to enjoy school.
“We believe school should be a place that helps us grow, not one that feels controlling and stressful. We deserve an environment where we can learn and express ourselves freely, without feeling restricted by unnecessary rules.
“We are asking for the school to rethink these changes and create a system that respects students’ needs and well-being. We want to feel safe, heard and supported, so we can thrive both academically and personally.”
The Herald repeatedly sought comment from the school this week but is yet to receive a response.
Recent school controversy
======================
Last year former EGGS teacher Peter Thomas lost his fight to keep details about his misconduct with a student secret and a Teachers’ Disciplinary Tribunal ruling against him was made public.
The tribunal evidence found Thomas “prevailed on [another student] to have sex with him, which ... was painful but to which she felt she could not say no”.
While the allegations of the sexual relationship between the former EGGS head of music and the girl had been publicised in 2021, it was only last year that the ruling could be shared.
After the ruling was shared a second former student came forward to the Herald alleging she too had complained about Thomas’ conduct.
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Safety cameras improve road safety by encouraging adherence to speed limits and red lights.
Evidence shows they significantly reduce speeds, crashes, deaths and serious injuries.
The safety camera network is expanding, transitioning from police to broader national coverage.
… View moreSafety cameras improve road safety by encouraging adherence to speed limits and red lights.
Evidence shows they significantly reduce speeds, crashes, deaths and serious injuries.
The safety camera network is expanding, transitioning from police to broader national coverage.
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The New Zealand Transport Agency (NZTA) has announced it will have new mobile safety cameras in SUVs next week, with trailers set to join the fleet later this year.
For the first time in New Zealand, speeding vehicles will be detected by cameras operating in SUVs, alongside the vans that police have traditionally used, the agency said.
NZTA announced that trailers with safety cameras will also be added later this year.
“A camera-equipped sports utility vehicle [SUV] will be parking up on roadsides across Auckland from next Tuesday [May 13] to improve safety for all road users by detecting drivers exceeding speed limits.
“In the coming months, it will be joined by other SUVs and trailers as NZTA expands its mobile safety camera operations across the country to a total of 44 mobile cameras – 35 of which will be operating at any given time.”
From July 1, NZTA said it will be responsible for the operation of all safety cameras and New Zealand Police will no longer be using camera vans.
The police will continue to issue notices for the offences they detect.
New cameras set to reduce harm caused by crashes
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NZTA said speeding drivers can cause serious harm on the roads, including deaths and serious injuries.
“Evidence shows that we can reduce the chance of people being killed or seriously injured in crashes if drivers travel within speed limits, and that is why we have safety cameras,” said head of regulatory strategic programmes Tara Macmillan.
“Mobile safety cameras reduce deaths and serious injuries by discouraging speeding generally, and they are most effective when they are deployed nationwide on a ‘anytime, anywhere’ basis.”
The exact timing and location of mobile safety cameras is informed by evidence, which may include crash data and feedback from local communities.
Mobile cameras are set to be used in places where there is a risk of people being killed or seriously injured in a crash.
“Evidence shows that unsigned mobile safety cameras are twice as effective at reducing crashes than signposted cameras, so while our safety cameras in SUVs and trailers will be visible to drivers and will not be hidden, they won’t be signposted,” Macmillan said.
NZTA said it will not receive any incentives or funds from tickets issued. Safety camera infringement fees go into the Government Consolidated Fund.
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Throughout the month, food and products across New Zealand get recalled for various reasons. Click on the blue title to read more about why the item has been recalled.
Food recalls:
Ārepa Brain drink
Imported whole frozen anchovies
New World Ravenswood cordon bleu
… View moreThroughout the month, food and products across New Zealand get recalled for various reasons. Click on the blue title to read more about why the item has been recalled.
Food recalls:
Ārepa Brain drink
Imported whole frozen anchovies
New World Ravenswood cordon bleu
Little Island hokey pokey coconut ice cream
Pams afghan oat baked bars
Product recalls:
Postie various baby merino clothing
Santa Cruz Heckler E-bike
PPG Paints Easycoat interior paint - sold at Bunnings
Tikiri dino teethers - sold at Sleep Store, Auckland Zoo, Mighty Ape and other retailers
North Face Shellista V Mid Waterproof Boots
Anko wooden Fire truck - sold at Kmart
Panda Mart candle light
H&M children's pyjama sets
Didn't see last month's list of recalls? Click here to browse that list too.
Take the guesswork out of square foot growing with this simple homemade spacing guide, complete with Resene colour-coded holes for easy planting and a dibber to sow seeds at the desired depth. Find out how to create your own with these easy step by step instructions.
Is your fixed interest rate expiring in the next 90 days?
Take advantage of Free Discovery session to find out the benefits of reviewing your existing financial situation and create a plan for the future.
SK Financial Group - Mortgage & Insurance aims to improve the financial journey, … View moreIs your fixed interest rate expiring in the next 90 days?
Take advantage of Free Discovery session to find out the benefits of reviewing your existing financial situation and create a plan for the future.
SK Financial Group - Mortgage & Insurance aims to improve the financial journey, addressing the current and future needs. Whether you have an existing home loan or looking to secure first home or upgrade your home or protect your wealth, you can use the link to book a free confidential chat.
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You’ll then, step on board the iconic Ghan for a two-night, all-inclusive rail… View moreExclusive to Imagine Holidays, this extraordinary adventure captures the best of Australia by land, rail and sea. Begin with a 10-night full-board cruise to Australia, followed by a luxurious hotel stay in Adelaide.
You’ll then, step on board the iconic Ghan for a two-night, all-inclusive rail journey through Australia’s Red Centre. Your journey culminates with two nights in tropical Darwin, including a breathtaking Charles Darwin sunset cruise — the perfect finale to your outback exploration.
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Plus, sign up to an independent apartment or townhouse before 30 June 2025 and you won’t pay your base weekly fee for a whole year.*
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Don't miss your last chance to save up to 35% on magazine subscriptions in our Mother’s Day Sale—perfect for Mum, Grandma, a special mother figure, or even as a well-deserved treat for yourself!
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From the team at Mags4Gifts
All agree that global warming js caused by CO2 emissions but only 20% is due to transport, 30% due to heating and factories but a whopping 50% by construction of new housing and roads, sewers etc to service them.
To stop global warming we must stop building. So to save the planet please have … View moreAll agree that global warming js caused by CO2 emissions but only 20% is due to transport, 30% due to heating and factories but a whopping 50% by construction of new housing and roads, sewers etc to service them.
To stop global warming we must stop building. So to save the planet please have only 2 children per family which will allow your home to be inherited by your children after they have looked after you in your retirement,
Police can confirm one person has died following a crash on the South-Western Motorway this morning.
The single vehicle crash was reported just before 5am, on northbound lanes near Onehunga.
Sadly, the sole occupant of this vehicle died at the scene.
Earlier closures of northbound lanes have… View morePolice can confirm one person has died following a crash on the South-Western Motorway this morning.
The single vehicle crash was reported just before 5am, on northbound lanes near Onehunga.
Sadly, the sole occupant of this vehicle died at the scene.
Earlier closures of northbound lanes have now lifted, and Police advise motorists to continue to expect delays as earlier backlogs clear.
We appreciate motorists' understanding this morning while emergency services carried out their work.
The Serious Crash Unit examined the scene this morning, and an investigation is underway into this morning's crash on behalf of the Coroner.
A 26-year-old woman with a history of health problems has won an order to “let nature take its course” - a move that could allow her to starve to death in hospital where she is refusing food and medical intervention.
The woman, whose name is suppressed, has a long and complicated history of … View moreA 26-year-old woman with a history of health problems has won an order to “let nature take its course” - a move that could allow her to starve to death in hospital where she is refusing food and medical intervention.
The woman, whose name is suppressed, has a long and complicated history of health issues and has spent large portions of the past seven years in the hospital.
While she and her family believe she suffers from gastroparesis, a physical condition affecting the stomach, there has never been any medical evidence that she has the condition.
Instead, she’s been diagnosed with a factitious disorder, a mental health condition in which the sufferer consciously self-induces, feigns or exaggerates physical or psychiatric symptoms to receive medical care. It cannot be treated with medication.
Despite this, neither the woman nor her parents has ever accepted that there is a psychological or psychiatric component to her condition.
As a result, she has refused to engage in any kind of psychological therapy that might help.
The woman has been subject to orders under the Protection of Personal and Property Rights Act since 2018, which permitted health professionals to treat her, including food via a tube.
These orders have been extended eight times but expired in October last year.
The following month, the woman collapsed at home and was re-admitted to hospital in Auckland, where she’s remained since.
During that time, she’s undergone 30 surgeries for various infections and, since early this year, has limited her food intake and refused any further surgical intervention.
The woman is described as being emaciated and frail, bed-bound and in a dark hospital room with closed curtains as natural light hurts her eyes.
Te Whatu Ora has applied for another order under the Act, which would allow medical professionals to continue to treat her.
However, the woman has opposed any such order being made and does not want any treatment administered against her will.
Instead, she wants to let nature take its course, even if that results in her death.
And now, in a recent ruling from the High Court at Auckland, she’s been granted her wish.
‘The pattern of poor decisions is life-threatening’
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The woman told a court-appointed legal adviser living in a hospital long term - as she has done for 1588 days (about four years and three months) in the past five years - was not, for her, a life.
She is completely dependent on others for assistance and does not even have sufficient strength to lift herself up in bed. She says she no longer wants to be under the control of anyone else, including medical professionals.
The woman told the adviser, who visited her in the hospital, that she’d been forced to undergo psychotherapy in the past, but it did not help, and she doesn’t want to do it again.
While the woman accepts that without further medical intervention, she will likely die, she said she isn’t suicidal and doesn’t want assisted death.
Her parents have also accepted her decision not to consent to further treatment.
When a treatment order was first imposed in 2018, one expert found that in most issues, the woman had full capacity, except when it came to healthcare decisions.
“The pattern of poor decisions is life-threatening (she has left the hospital against medical advice, discontinued care, requested palliation for a treatable condition), and appears to have no insight (and is... resistant to input) around the basis for her condition,” that expert found.
“Therefore, I think she is impaired around her ability to understand the nature and consequences of her situation.”
A Family Court judge then granted a treatment order on the basis that she didn’t “appreciate her situation and its consequences” and lacked the capacity to make informed decisions about her medical care.
Fast forward to 2025 and three experts produced by Te Whatu Ora conceded she had the ability to understand the decisions she was making about her health, as well as the likely consequences.
However, all three were concerned that she was basing her decision on what was essentially a misdiagnosis of gastroparesis, when in reality, all her symptoms are psychological.
‘Best interests lie in letting nature take its course’
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After a hearing at the High Court at Auckland in April, Justice Graham Lang found that just because the woman refused to accept the factual diagnosis of her condition, it didn’t mean she was mentally incapable of making decisions about her own healthcare.
“She has obviously based her decisions on this erroneous belief. Further, she is unwilling or unable to countenance the possibility that her belief may be incorrect,” Justice Lang said in his decision.
“A person may validly agree to, or refuse, medical treatment even where they do not accept the diagnosis that has led to the offer of the treatment in question. The critical issue is whether they truly understand the nature, purpose and effect of the proposed treatment.
“Further, she knows that treatment and nutrition will keep her alive. This means she understands the gravity of the consequences that her decisions may produce.”
Justice Lang ruled the woman had the mental capacity to decide her own fate.
Justice Lang also noted the woman had repeatedly refused to accept psychological intervention, so it was unlikely that any court order would convince her to seek it as a treatment path.
“[Her] death is not an inevitability, although there appears little prospect at this stage that she will engage in the psychiatric care that offers her the best hope of improving her disorder,” Justice Lang said.
“However, she is now in a position where the Court would be required to choose between making orders that override [her] wishes in the hope of preserving a theoretical prospect of her living a fulfilling life, or allowing her the dignity of deciding for herself.
“As matters currently stand, [she] has decided that her best interests lie in letting nature take its course. I consider the Court should respect that decision given that she has made it after receiving nutrition and treatment over many years with little apparent accompanying long-term benefit.”
Justice Lang said that in reaching that conclusion, he took into account that the woman is well aware she needs to eat to stay alive, and can ask at any time to get help.
“It is for her to decide whether she wishes to avail herself of this option.”
A Te Whatu Ora spokesperson said it could not comment on individual patients, but confirmed that it would not be appealing the ruling.
‘Freedom of choice’
================
Human rights lawyer Michael Bott, a former Council for Civil Liberties national chairman, told NZME that freedom of choice meant the ability for people to make any decision they wanted.
“It’s the freedom to make bizarre choices, or choices that don’t make sense to anyone else necessarily.”
Bott said that just because someone makes what is perceived to be the wrong decision doesn’t mean the state should compel them to make the objectively “right” decision.
Bott also said that if Te Whatu Ora thought the woman was mentally unwell it could have applied under the Mental Health (Compulsory Assessment and Treatment) Act for an order to force her to accept medical treatment.
“As a general rule people make decisions about their health and they choose to either accept or reject the advice of the experts, in this case here she has a belief that trumps that,” he said.
“No one is going to change her view.”
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The Prize includes:
- Tossing the coin with the referee and team captains.
- x2 Silver Stand tickets so you and your child can … View moreBe in to WIN a once-in-a-lifetime experience for a young Blues fan!
Tell us why your youngster should be the special coin toss guest at the next Blues home game.
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