School bullying cases low 

Schools across the region say bullying incidents remain low, as communities prepare to mark Pink Shirt Day on Friday, May 15.

The annual event aims to raise awareness about bullying and promote safe, supportive and inclusive environments in schools, workplaces and communities.

According to the Bullying Free NZ programme, bullying is considered a relationship problem and can occur for many reasons, including perceived differences between students. These may relate to race, sexuality, religion, disability, ability, appearance or popularity.

Local principals say maintaining a strong school culture and encouraging students to speak up has helped keep bullying at minimal levels.

Tomarata School principal Chris King said bullying incidents at the school were rare.

“I have had two meetings with parents relating to bullying over the past three-and-a-half years,” King said. “We are a small school, which is an advantage.”

Wellsford School principal Melanie Bell said the school experienced only one or two incidents a year, and each concern was treated seriously.

“We take every concern seriously, regardless of how we ultimately classify it,” Bell said. “But we’re fortunate that our school culture – built around strong relationships, restorative practice, and high expectations for how we treat one another – means that entrenched bullying behaviour is genuinely rare here.”

Bell said the nature of bullying had changed over time, with schools now seeing fewer obvious incidents.

“We actually see less overt bullying than we used to, possibly because schools have become much more intentional about culture-building, restorative practice and teaching children the language of emotions and relationships,” she said.

Tauhoa School principal Vivienne Goldsmith also reported very few issues.

“We’ve had incidents of behaviour that need to be addressed, but it is not repetitive or ongoing,” Goldsmith said. “However, we encourage students to report concerns and we never ignore these complaints.”

At Warkworth School, Pink Shirt Day activities focus on student wellbeing and positive behaviour rather than using the term “bullying” directly.

Principal Karney Dawson said the school used the day to encourage students to become “upstanders” who supported others.

“We focus on student wellbeing and how we address issues, and we empower students to be upstanders by discussing kindness and standing up for others,” Dawson said.