Inadequate Psychosocial Risk Handling, and Lack of Training and Knowledge, Christchurch Boys' High Admits

19 June 2025. The New Zealand Reporter. This article: Worksafe's second investigation into Christchurch Boys' High School.

A September 2023 Worksafe report has surfaced showing it completed a second investigation into Christchurch Boys’ High School. They reveal admissions the school “does not adequately manage psychosocial risks” and from its “health and safety committee that they do not have the knowledge or training to manage” those risks.

Pictured: Christchurch Boys’ High School principal Nic Hill (centre) and board chair Michael Singleton (left) fronting at the Employment Relations hearing into claims made by Susan Mowat (right, off-camera) in April this year.

Christchurch Boys’ High School declined to comment on the latest disclosures.

In July 2023, EY (Ernst Young) completed a maturity report into the schools health, tabling 18 recommendations, and finding 5 gaps in the schools health and safety practices. Worksafe said Boys’ High “had commissioned an external review to highlight these [“psychosocial risk management”] gaps and has a plan to address gaps in the next two years”.

“This shows,” said Worksafe, “a proactive approach from CBHS and lends itself to a belief that the school intends to action these recommendations”.

After its follow-up assessment, Worksafe investigators demurred from prosecuting the school, rather recommending it be issued with a direction letter detailing 9 concern and 5 recommendations.

“Worksafe has spoken to 13 teachers, 11 of which raised consistent concerns about CBHS’s management of psychosocial risks which supports belief that the management of psychosocial risks is not clear or effective for workers”

Investigators assessed the “consequence of unmanaged risk could be argued to sit between severe and significant”. They believed that the “unmanaged psychosocial risk can result in a number of consequences ranging from minor stress to suicide”.

They believed the “consequences has been rated as significant and probable if risks were unmanaged”. This was above the normal rate of “possible” that could be achieved if “controls” were put in place.

The First Investigation

In May 2023, Worksafe had completed its first investigation, looking into claims of psycho-social harm involving the school’s teachers.

All the complainants, except one, were former workers.

Initially Worksafe reviewers “suggested a minimum presence of significant psychosocial risks resulting in harm to multiple staff across a number of years. …All notifiers alleged bullying and harassment by [Nic] HILL towards staff with most examples spanning years between 2018 and 2022. …Stakeholders at the Ministry of Education (MoE)…highlighted a strong degree of concern over the management of CBHS and behaviours exhibited by school leadership. MoE indicated seven PDs [protected disclosures, sic.] had been made by ex-staff, and that 46 of roughly 130 staff had resigned within the last 12 months (a turnover rate of 35%) which they observed as uncharacteristic of schools.”

Investigators recommended prosecuting the board of trustees. But that was ruled out.

The Second Investigation

On 12 and 13 September 2023, Worksafe conducted a follow-up assessment at the school, where it interviewed the board of trustees, managerial staff, Health and Safety representatives and staff.

On 20 September 2023, the team responsible believed the “risk gap” was “moderate” and recommended Worksafe issue the board with a directive letter regarding “Psychosocial Risk Management”.

Initially, the investigators assessment pointed towards a prosecution as “there has been a relevant history of a Worksafe investigation and harm has been reported from ex-workers”.

They also recommended that a follow-up visit be made in 6 to 12 months’ time to see that the school’s “progress addressing the health and safety gaps identified in the EY [Ernst Young] report, and somewhat cryptically that “thought be given to upstream duties with the Ministry of Education”.