"Remove Nic Hill" and Others, Writes Female Relief Teacher; Worksafe Refuses To Be Involved

9 June 2025. The New Zealand Reporter. This article: the ongoing Christchurch Boys' High School workplace health and safety saga.

In a Worksafe complaint, a former relief teacher has alleged Christchurch Boys’ High principal Nic Hill targeted her and was “intimidated” by the head of relief teaching.

Nic Hill pictured by a screen during the school board’s employment case in April with Suzanne Mowat.

“He stood there for several minutes trying to intimidate, before leaving without acknowledging me. It was not a good example to the boys as to how to treat a female member staff member. …My sudden disappearance was difficult for several staff members…I did not work any days at Cobham in Term One. This was a deliberate lie. They painted me as a difficult person to work with.”

An excerpt from a former CBHS teacher’s complaint regarding the head of relief teaching.

Worksafe deemed her case as carrying “high public interest”, but low priority and decided not to take enforcement action against the school board.

Boys’ High’s board were provided with the documents relating to her complaint, as well as a further one involving a second teacher and Worksafe’s 2023 ongoing monitoring of the school.

It would not comment.

Documents describe the complainant as a “New Zealand European” and a “Female”, and allege she was bullied and harassed at work.

Worksafe provided three different redacted versions of the same complaint that mention Hill.

“Intake discussion notes” recorded on 25 July show her complaint was not solely about Hill, but also included the head of relief teaching.

They also refer to “Contractual issues such as pay and hours of work”.

She describes her departure from the school as a “sudden disappearance” and having already been to the Ministry of Education.

She wrote the MOE-

“suggested I contact the Board of Trustees, which I said was a waste of time. They suggested I contact you.”

In her 23/24 July 2024 notification, she demanded that “Nic Hill, some of the Senior Management Team and the Board of Trustees who support him” be removed.

On 25 July, Todd Mushet, manager of Kaimahi Hauora team directed the case to be closed, because it did not meet the threshold for involvement.

Worksafe made no mention of this in its automatic notification of 2 August.

Her complaint was reviewed and discussed by other Worksafe workers.

But on 6 August, it referred her to the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Enterprise, because her case was deemed an employment matter.

Responding to the allegations on behalf of the school board, Nic Hill’s executive assistant Lorraine Dunn wrote-

“We reference to your email dated 4 June 2025, the Board has previously commented on the Worksafe investigation and has nothing further to add.”

“I have been an active member of staff for 11 years being fully involved in social activities in fact organising many of them. Also helping the huge number of year one teachers who were employed and couldn’t control their classes. Behaviour management being a strength of mine. This was done informally in order to help staff out. The [redacted] although I have picked up classes for term 1 to 1 year over many subject areas during this time.”

“My income would have averaged approximately .8 of a load at least during this time.”

“I became Nic’s target and therefore [redacted] with no explanation. I have written to