School staffs around Wellington do not represent the communities they exist to serve.

One example is a Karori school to which Mazlinah applied five times without success. She wrote to the principal: “For my future guidance, can you tell me why on this occasion I failed to make the shortlist given my experience at new entrants level?” (At this point Mazlinah had taught new entrants in at least five schools.)

Their office administrator replied: “I have spoken to our principal and we had several applications from experienced teachers at new entrants level, and the leadership team shortlisted those who we considered were the best fit for our school.”

What constitutes “best fit” is unclear. On their website at the time, not one Asian or other minority staff member was evident. However, 10% of their students were Māori, 16% Asian, 3% Pacific and 4% other ethnic groups so a third of their students were non-Pākehā. Mazlinah feels she would have fitted in well, and added much-needed diversity to their staff.

A school in south Wellington where Mazlinah applied nine times is another example. Education Review Office (ERO) statistics at the time Mazlinah was applying noted that students at that school were 22% Māori, 40% NZ European/Pākehā, 7% Samoan and 31% “Other ethnic groups”.

“Other” is mostly Muslim children of various ethnic backgrounds, this being the nearest primary school to Wellington’s main mosque.

“I knew some of the local kids in that school in my community role as a karate teacher,” Mazlinah says.

Looking at the names of full-time teaching staff, not one appeared to be from an ethnic minority; likewise, the Board of Trustees.

At another nearby school, the students were even more diverse when Mazlinah was making multiple unsuccessful applications there: 10% Māori, 3% Pacific, 18% Asian, 9% African and 4% Middle Eastern, so nearly half were ethnic minorities.

Yet from the names on their website it seemed there was only one Asian on staff, a reading recovery teacher. The rest were Pākehā.

At another school, Mazlinah learned after an unsuccessful application that the school in question had hired a young white woman with very little primary school experience. Furthermore, they planned to send her on the Incredible Years for Teachers course – a qualification Mazlinah already has, as her CV makes clear.

This unbalanced picture is similar at nearly all Wellington schools and is likely replicated around the country.