An organisation representing many Maori language immersion schools wants to make sure a convicted sex offender hasn't worked in its kura.
A ministerial inquiry is underway after it was revealed a 41-year-old man had worked in a number of schools since his conviction in 2004 for sexual offences against a minor.
Te Runanga Nui o Nga Kura Kaupapa Maori o Aotearoa chairperson, Rawiri Wright, says it's concerned the teacher went undetected for so long.
Mr Wright says its focus now is to check if the man was employed by its schools.
However, he's confident the 41-year-old hasn't worked at a kura.
Mr Wright says the incident highlights the need for all schools to be vigilant when carrying out background checks on potential new staff members.
