Tip:
Highlight text to annotate it
X
Seven years.
That's what a kura kaupapa Maori teacher is facing
for sexually assaulting male students
and supplying some with cannabis.
Reuben Tapara taught
at the kura kaupapa Maori in Putaruru
before he was charged in October last year.
Peata Melbourne was in court today
and joins us live from Hamilton.
Peata.
Scotty, the families and victims have long waited for the verdict.
Tapara was not present,
but he was broadcast from prison
and we were able to hear and see him in court.
The families of some of the victims were present.
Their lawyers did not allow us to speak to them,
but you could feel their pain and anger.
The mother of one of the victims spoke to the judge today,
at which point Tapara began to cry, as did the mother.
The atmosphere in the court room today was tense with anger.
Reuben Tapara was a teacher,
but behind the facade was something else.
The board is sorry.
Tapara taught here before moving to another school
where his penchant for *** assault was discovered.
In 2003, he and a group of students visited the Cook Islands,
and over a year later,
a student came forward to say Tapara had spoken to him.
Tapara allegedly masturbated in front of a student
and demanded *** favours,
with threats of violence if the boy declined.
Did he take his claims to police?
The principal failed to go to police.
But the school's private investigator said;
the boy said nothing has come of it.
But the school says Tapara admitted to the 12-year-old's claims.
Tapara also admits to drinking alcohol
while children were in his care.
The school did not fine him.
At the time, what happened to Reuben Tapara?
Was he still teaching?
He was.
The New Zealand School Trustees Associations says
they weren't privy to the investigator's findings,
and they say they did not sense that anything was amiss with him.
The teachers council says they weren't informed,
as does the head of Te Runanganui o Nga Kura Kaupapa.
I agree that the runanga should have more say in these decisions.
When Reuben Tapara moved
to Te Kura Kaupapa Maori o Te Kaokaoroa o Patetere in 2008,
the school supported his application.
Your school supported his application for a job at that school - is that true?
It is.
The school is taking a look at their processes,
and they have passed on the names
and contact details of former students to police.
This was Tapara's first offence.
Today he talked about his anger at himself.
He thinks about his crimes every day,
and the pain that he put his victims through.
He's received threats,
and he understands that that's the price for his crimes.
He apologised to the families that attended and to his own family,
and said he understood the difficulties
they're facing at the moment.
The sentence was seven years in prison.
Thank you, Peata Melbourne, live from our Hamilton offices.