Multicultural NZ: Boards of trustees fail to reflect diversity of students in Christchurch
05 April 2016
Christchurch City’s school boards of trustees do not adequately represent the diversity of their students, says Multicultural New Zealand.
Over thirty per cent of Christchurch’s school children are of Maori, Pacific, Asian and other non-European ethnicities, but all these groups are under-represented on school boards of trustees in the city.
Education Ministry statistics indicate that the city’s growing Asian student population (not counting international students) is the most under-represented. According to the Ministry’s website, Education Counts, there were 5,889 Asian students in Christchurch schools last year, making up 10.19 per cent of the total number of students. But only 0.2 per cent of school trustees identified as Asian.
Multicultural New Zealand is calling on Christchurch schools to make a special effort to connect with all their diverse communities before the coming school board of trustees elections in May, and to encourage them to nominate candidates and vote in the elections.
The full figures for Christchurch schools are:
Christchurch City Council area, school trustees:
Maori: 92 (8.35%)
Pacific: 38 (3.45%)
Asian: 12 (0.20%)
Other/Not Stated: 77 (6.9%)
European: 882 (80.1%)
Total 1101
Christchurch City Council area, students:
European: 38,897 (67.36%)
Maori: 7,993 (13.84%)
Pacific: 2836 (4.91%)
Asian: 5889 (10.19%)
MELAA 1101 (1.90%)
Other 347 (0.60%)
International students:680 (1.17%)
Total: 57,743