Kiwileaks Exclusive: Privacy Commissioner, Corrupt or Incompetent?

This is the arrogant and dismissive response from the Office of the Privacy Commissioner in response to the issue of the South End School.  Faithful followers of Transparency in New Zealand will recall that I received a letter from the Board of Trustees of the South End School in Carterton in sacking me from my job because, according to the letter, the Board was distressed to have received information that I had been recently charged by the Police for an offence involving a child.

This was despite an earlier visit from the Deputy Principal, to ask me if the allegation was true, because she had been so shocked to discover that the Board was proposing to send me the letter.  Of course, I told her in no uncertain terms that this was utter rubbish, and that I had never in my life been charged with any such offence, never mind recently!  I was therefore very surprised indeed to receive the letter some 6 weeks later saying: "The Board of Trustees were distressed to hear of you recently being charged by the police.  The vetting policy at the school is designed to reduce risk to the children at South End School.  Whereas your previous Court incidents did not have this risk the present one involves a child.  This does present a risk and therefore a problem for the Board.  With this charge over you the Board of Trustees requests that you stop your work in the school gardens.  Should you be found guilty of the charge the Board could not permit you to resume your work on the school garden.  As a Board we hope that either the charges are withdrawn or you are found not guilty of the charge as this would remove our problem.  We appreciate the work and enthusiasm you bring to the school garden and hope that we can be in a position to resume this work in the near future." - what hypocrisy and lies!

Of course I immediately rang the school and made an appointment to see the Principal, Rod O'Leary, who I had previously had a very good relationship with through my job at the school teaching gardening and running the school gardens, which I was solely responsible for creating and developing.  The school gardening program I introduced was wildly successful.  It brought out all the best qualities in the kids, and they learned so much, because gardening is a holistic sort of process, and it teaches kids to look at life holistically, it teaches commitment, planning, risk management and all sorts of interesting things as well as growing food, a very basic but essential life saving skill, especially in these economic times.

We met and I told him that the allegation in the letter was untrue.  I requested all information the school held about me, and in particular all information regarding the letter sacking me because of the false and extremely offensive allegation.  The meeting was pleasant, but I was clear about how I felt about receiving the letter from the Board, after I'd made it perfectly clear to the Deputy Principal that the allegation was untrue when she had put it to me 6 weeks earlier.  I asked for a meeting between myself and the Board as soon as possible.  This request, and all other requests for a meeting with the Board were refused, as was the request for information.

I wrote a considerable number of letters to various individuals and organisations, all of which concentrated more on explaining to me that it wasn't really an issue they wanted to deal with for one excuse or another.  This letter from the Privacy Commissioner's Office is a good example.  The Principal provided one or two documents to me and told the Privacy Commissioner that was all the information.  I asked for the minutes of the Board meeting where it was decided to send me the letter, and the notes of the staff representative, which the Deputy Principal had told me she had sighted, documenting that the Police had given the Board the erroneous and slanderous information, along with other false, slanderous and defamatory information.  This would be in accordance with their announced policy of sharing gossip with anyone who's interested:  (Click on these images to enlarge, or open them with Paint program.)

The principal lied to the Privacy Commissioner, repeatedly stating that no other information existed, well after he, and the Board of Trustees, had received a number of complaints from parents.  When confronted with the evidence, in the form of a copy of one of the letters of complaint, he was forced to accept its existence, grudgingly.

Contrast this with the article in the Dominion Post October 2008 which boasts how police blatantly flout the privacy laws, giving free access to basically any idiot on the committee of any little community organisation.

The people in charge of the community organisations in the Wairarapa are mainly corrupt and incompetent (a notable exception being Ken English of the Heart Foundation, and I wish him all the best in his retirement, he deserves it and we'll all miss him a lot).  This article quotes Lyn Buckley of Women's Refuge, Masterton, who told me her organisation wouldn't be assisting me in any way when I asked if they could assist with urgent accommodation and assistance after the recent assaults at what's now Gallon Road.  There's no shortage of greedy, incompetent, unscrupulous and outright corrupt people running so-called 'community organisations' round here (and elsewhere I suspect).

I had also written to the Privacy Commissioner about the refusal of the Police to provide an audio recording of the call to 111 emergency services from Clair Cook and Kelly Wilson regarding the attack on me in my home by Michael Francis Murphy of 18 Wyndham St Carterton on 11th February 2009, and the letter from the manager of the Police Communications Centre, Inspector Wayne Ewers, in which he states the reason for the refusal: "according to the Privacy Act you are not entitled to any information that is created by other people." - what rubbish!  Rubbish which the Privacy Commissioner and the Police have refused to acknowledge.  The newsclipping file has deteriorated (Bob told me about jpeg files), readers might like to try and get a copy from the offices of the Dominion Post, it was on the front page in October 2008, next to an equally large photo of a female police officer breastfeeding her baby instead of doing what she's paid to do, exposing way more breast that Christine Rankin.

My complaint, which is referred to insultingly in the Certificate of Investigation issued by the Office of the Privacy Commissioner (at my request in order to progress the matter through the proper channels, the Human Rights Review Tribunal and the Ombudsman), is that (inter alia) the Principal of the South End School, Rod O'Leary, is lying to the investigator and everyone else, in saying that I told him I had recently been charged by Police with an offence involving a child.  He knows perfectly well I didn't and no person in their right mind would believe that!  I don't make things up, he does, and he made up this lie deliberately in order to get rid of me, in conspiracy with members of the Board of Trustees, because after I had slaved away to build beautiful gardens at the school from nothing, and investing a huge amount of time and resources in to the gardens, and hundreds of dollars of equipment, with no help whatsoever from the Board or other staff, the school finally managed to get funding for gardens, and wanted to get their hands on it unhindered by me.

I told the Privacy Commissioner's investigator, Diane Swan, that Deputy Principal Dallas Powell had told me that she had seen the notes of the meeting, that they were clearly about me, and that she would verify that I told her the exact opposite of what O'Leary claimed.  I also asked for any evidence whatsoever of O'Leary's claim, such as notes, incident reports, anything whatsoever, and asked her to contact Deputy Principal Dallas Powell and ask her directly, and obtain a statement from her about the matter.

Swan rudely refused, like Mike Flahive, who signed this rude letter - how much taxpayer's money was wasted - or pocketed by him and Diane Swan - over this little racket?!  I DID NOT TELL O'LEARY ANY SUCH THING HE IS A CORRUPT LIAR WHO HAS PROFITED CONSIDERABLY FROM THIS CORRUPT CONSPIRACY.

Then a few things happened.  Deputy Principal Dallas Powell left the school abruptly.  I was issued with a trespass notice, preventing me accessing my tools and equipment at the school.  When I was hailed by the school's bullying and lazy groundsman one day I responded by stopping and asking him to move our property from his locked shed on the grounds to the gate so that I could remove it from the site, and when he said it was not going to be returned, I called him a thieving crook, and the Principal, who he was speaking with at the time, and was charged by the police with using insulting language.  All three prosecution witnesses failed to turn up to the hearing, wasting considerable Court time, Police time, and public resources, after numerous preliminary Court fixtures.

Court Summary of Facts, written by corrupt Constable Harvey Pope states: "In 2009 the defendant RAUE was Trespassed from the grounds of CARTERTON South end School (sic).  She was at the time a volunteer at the school and involved with the school's vegetable gardens.  During this involvement her bad behaviour in front of the pupils caused the schools' teachers and board members to become concerned.  Efforts to sever ties with RAUE turned hostile."  The document alleges that I was cycling past, stopped and shouted "abuse" at the "Principle and grounds man" (sic).  A very serious crime in Carterton apparently.

Efforts to sever ties - like sending me a letter accusing me of child abuse and a trespass notice effectively stealing my property - certainly did turn hostile in the face of the obvious lies and corruption.  There was no "bad behaviour" because if there had there would undoubtably be some record of it, such as a single incident report, a note, there's nothing at all, and there is considerable evidence from witnesses that this is an utter lie.

What a waste of taxpayers money this all is.  Are people too stupid to see it, or what?

To Ombudsmen, 9 September 2009:

Ombudsmen

I wish to complain about the administrative acts, decisions and recommendations of the Office of the Privacy Commissioner.

I complained to that office about the corrupt and incompetent so called "investigation" into my complaint by Diane Swan of that office, and about the original complaint, which was:

1. The refusal of the South End School, Carterton, to provide me with information.  I requested all information about me after I received a letter sacking me from my job because I had allegedly been "recently charged by the police with an offence involving a child".
2. The refusal of the School to correct the false information:
3. The Principal of the School denied the existence of letters of complaint from parents regarding the manner in which I have been treated until confronted with the evidence.  I request an apology for this.
4. The Deputy Principal of the School confirmed that the matter was discussed at a Board of Trustees meeting, I requested the Minutes of the meeting at which it was decided by the Board to send me the letter, and 
5. the notes of the staff representative which were referred to by the Deputy Principal, confirming that the Board had discussed the false allegation, and the source of the allegation, the police and McPhee.
6. The refusal to correct the information - that there was a meeting with O'Leary and I regarding these matters prior to me receiving the letter from the Board.  There was no meeting between O'Leary and I regarding these matters until after I received the letter from the Board.
7. Principal Rod O'Leary has falsely claimed that I told him that I had recently been charged by the police with an offence involving a child, which is utter rubbish, as the Deputy Principal Dallas Powell knows, and it is an obvious lie to pretend otherwise.  I told him no such thing.  The allegation is obviously completely illogical and untrue, I hadn't been charged so there is no likelihood at all that I would say so.  Or that the Board would take such action on that basis anyway!
8. The refusal to correct the information contained in the letter to W and J Armstrong from the School, which falsely claims:
9. That "it was brought to the Board's attention that there could have been a problem with Kate Raue's actions out in the community and we sought only to make sure our children were safe and secure as is our responsibility."  This is an orchestrated litany of lies.
10. I requested all information regarding the above statement, including who brought it to the attention of the Board, when, specifically how - what exactly was the allegation?  
11. The refusal to correct the information regarding the false statement "there could have been a problem with Kate Raue's actions out in the community" - what problem?  What actions out in the community?  What relevance does any of that rubbish have to do with my actions at the School?  (None)
12. I request that the Board write immediately to the Armstrong family apologising for providing the false information - there were no valid concerns about any problem with my actions in the community - I represent a large proportion of this community who fully support me, and this is blatant, politically motivated corruption, by McPhee and his mates in the local police.
13. Corrupt local police and Mayor Gary McPhee deliberately provided false information to the Principal of the School and others in the community.  This fact is welll documented and witnessed, and indisputable.
14. This is also confirmed by the Mayoral Diary, and the evidence of the Deputy Principal, which the Privacy Commissioners Office arrogantly refuses to acknowledge or investigate or confirm.  The continued refusal to delberately ignore the evidence of crucial witnesses amounts to serious corruption.
15. The complaint has been "investigated" with extreme prejudice and bias by the Privacy Commissioner.  Clearly the decision of the Board of Trustees to write the letter sacking me for this very serious allegation would have been discussed and recorded in the minutes of a meeting of the Board, and as such the minutes must be provided as requested.
16. The notes of the staff representative have been deliberately destroyed after I requested them, which was immediately I was told by the Deputy Principal of their existence, which was immediately after she saw them, days after the meeting.  I formally requested them in writing from the Principal, along with the rest of the information immediately after that.  This is blatant corruption, to prevent the investigator finding out the truth of the matter.  I repeat my request that Dallas Powell be required to confirm what the notes said, and the truth of what I have written in regard to these matters and the untruth of what has apparently been told to the Privacy Commission's "investigator" 
17. Can I have access to all information regarding the "investigation" of the Privacy Commissioner's Office please?

Katherine Raue

Kate for Carterton

I'm Kate Raue and I am running for mayor of Carterton. Feel free to check this blog regularly to be updated on events in Carterton. At the end of each text there is a small section were you to can have your say by leaving a comment.

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CANDIDATE PROFILE

CARTERTON MAYORALTY

KATE RAUE


I’m standing for Mayor because I see an opportunity to positively influence the future direction of our community.

I’ll work to facilitate business growth, social and economic development in Carterton, and work with the other Wairarapa Councils to implement a regional strategy to this effect. Clearly, an efficient and well-run Council will result in rates being utilised much more prudently and effectively.

There will be inquiries into the Carterton District Council’s involvement with the former Community Centre, Facility Focus Group, and information provided to the Council by individual members and employees of the Council.

I will ensure that we get an economically and socially sustainable Community Resource Centre.

For more information please contact me to arrange a meeting, I hold information that every voter should see, but unfortunately lack resources at the moment to make it widely available. I can fax documents to anyone who is interested. Phone 379 6894.