Teacher who had relationship with teenage student ‘intimidated’ whistleblowers

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An elite Christchurch school concedes it should have stood down one of its staff as soon as concerns surfaced about his inappropriate behaviour towards a teenage girl.

Instead, Taurapa, formerly Connor Taurapa Matthews, was able to continue in his role as a tutor at Christ’s College for more than two and a half years, a decision that’s been called “completely unacceptable” and “shameful”.

“I think the school really dropped the ball. They should have done a lot more to protect other students,” a staffer who helped expose the teacher’s serious misconduct says.

On Monday, Stuff revealed Taurapa had been struck off the teaching register after the Teachers Disciplinary Tribunal found he’d had a sexual relationship with a 16-year-old student, and groomed another teenager.

He was employed by two elite schools at the same time. From 2018 to April 2019 he was a te reo Māori teacher at Rangi Ruru Girls’ School. During that period he was also a live-in house tutor at Christ’s College.

Taurapa was allowed to continue working at Christ’s College after allegations were raised about his conduct.

Alden Williams/Stuff

Taurapa was allowed to continue working at Christ’s College after allegations were raised about his conduct.

The severe abuse of his position as a teacher took place at both schools.

In February 2019, Christ’s College was alerted to concerns about SnapChat messages Taurapa had been sending a 17-year-old girl, known as Ms Y, who worked part-time for a contractor at the school. While the girl’s boss spoke to Taurapa, the school took no action against him.

Then, a month later, Taurapa’s relationship with 16-year-old Rangi Ruru student Helena Dray – who’s waived her right to anonymity – was exposed by two Christ’s College staffers who’d become suspicious of his behaviour.

The pair reported their concerns to the school’s associate principal the morning after one of them photographed Taurapa’s car outside the teenager’s home late at night.

In April 2019, Taurapa, then aged in his early 20s, quit his teaching job while under investigation by Rangi Ruru. However, there was a six-month delay in the matter being flagged with the Teaching Council because the principal of the girls’ school mistakenly sent a mandatory report to the wrong email address.

In the interim, Taurapa was employed as a teacher at Hornby High School on a fixed term, part-time contract for about five months. “I understand the referee’s checks undertaken at the time did not indicate any concerns or alarm bells,” the school’s newly appointed principal Iain Murray said on Tuesday.

In January 2020, after leaving Hornby High School, Taurapa began teaching at Te Whānau Tahi, a Maori immersion school, and was later elected to its board of trustees.

Two years later, he joined Stuff as a te reo translator. He no longer works there.

While Rangi Ruru acted swiftly, Christ’s College allowed Taurapa to continue in his house tutor role – a decision one of the whistleblowers says defies belief and was part of the reason the person eventually quit the school.

“I think they acted inappropriately by leaving him on staff … knowing he was under investigation.”

The staffer, whose name was suppressed by the tribunal, said allowing Taurapa to continue to work at the college created workplace issues.

He said he and his colleague felt intimidated by Taurapa, who he said shoulder barged them outside the school and stared them down.

As a solution, the college tried to get the trio to sign contracts agreeing to avoid each other where possible, the staffer said.

Taurapa worked as a teacher at Rangi Ruru until he resigned in April 2019.

KAI SCHWOERER/Stuff

Taurapa worked as a teacher at Rangi Ruru until he resigned in April 2019.

It made him feel like he and his fellow complainant “were the bad guys”.

“It felt like they were protecting him.”

At one point, when the staffer asked why Taurapa was still employed at the college, and what would happen if the media found out, the HR manager is said to have responded: “That’s why we have good PR people.”

Months after being denied access to some school buildings, Taurapa asked for keys to the music school so he could practice on a piano, despite having one in his room, the whistleblower said.

When Taurapa eventually left Christ’s in December 2021, he made out he had a grievance with the school, and suggested he’d been a victim of racism.

On Tuesday, Christ’s College board chairperson Hugh Lindo said the school should have launched an investigation into Taurapa’s behaviour as soon as it was made aware of Ms Y’s complaint.

“He should have been suspended immediately and removed from the campus while an investigation was undertaken.”

As a result of details and questions raised with the school by Stuff, Christ’s College on Tuesday appointed barrister Janna McGuigan to investigate “all aspects of Taurapa’s employment” there.

“If the people who have contacted you wish to contact me directly, I can facilitate their involvement in the investigation,” Lindo told Stuff.

After allegations about him surfaced in 2019, Taurapa initially denied any wrongdoing, but later, when confronted with further evidence, accepted he had engaged in serious misconduct and breached his professional obligations by trying to help Dray with issues with her mental health.

It was only after she provided an affidavit to a Teaching Council investigator years later that the extent of their relationship was revealed.

Dray said Taurapa groomed her by buying her a birthday present, giving her poetry, and sending her near daily messages, including naked videos and photos of himself. He asked her to keep their relationship secret.

On Tuesday, a Teaching Council spokesperson said the case was unique because much of the most serious evidence against Taurapa came to light late in the investigation, by which time he was no longer in a teaching position.

When the matter was first referred to the Teachers Disciplinary Tribunal, the Teaching Council alerted Taurapa’s employer at the time, Te Whānau Tahi, as required, but “there was no reason at that stage that prevented him from continuing to teach”.

Taurapa is a registered wedding celebrant.

On Tuesday, registrar-general of Births, Deaths and Marriages, Russell Burnard, said that in light of the tribunal’s decision, he would investigate what action to take in relation to Taurapa’s status as a celebrant.

“Any removal of … Taurapa as a celebrant will be a decision made by the Minister of Justice if that is considered appropriate after investigation.”

Taurapa declined to comment when contacted by Stuff on Tuesday.

Te Whānau Tahi’s board chairs have not responded to requests for comment. On Tuesday morning, a woman who answered the phone at the school said: “We have no comment to make whatsoever.”

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