Headteacher Simon Lamb and chairman of the school’s board of trustees Shan Wilson said Herald in a statement last night that they became aware of the staff member’s alleged online activity yesterday and the matter was of “great concern” to King’s College.

“The school takes such matters very seriously. “We notified New Zealand Police today and this evening asked parents and guardians to speak to their child about any concerns they may have in light of this information.”

Lamb and Wilson also told parents last night that the male staff member “admitted that he was involved in inappropriate online activity while under the impression that he was communicating with a minor.”

They wrote that, to the best of their knowledge, no King’s College student was involved in this online activity and this was the first time concerns about his behavior had been reported to them.

According to Lamb and Wilson, the employee also stated that no King’s College students were involved in his online activities.

“The College takes such matters very seriously; As a priority, we need to understand if any of our students have any concerns that they would like to discuss with us regarding this information and we will provide them with the support they need,” their statement read.

“We therefore wanted to contact you as soon as possible, inform you of the steps we are taking and ask for your help in talking to your child.”

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Katie Harris is an Auckland-based journalist covering social issues including sexual violence, workplace misconduct, media, crime and justice. She joined Herald in 2020.