Police vetting for school property contractors and consultants
Contractors and consultants who have unsupervised access to students at the school during normal school hours must undergo a Police vet and risk assessment.
Under the Children's Act 2014 and the Education and Training Act 2020, Police vets must be done for:
- non-teaching and unregistered employees (who are not children’s workers) who work at the school during normal operating hours
- contractors and their employees who may have unsupervised access to children during normal operating hours.
A Police vet is valid for 3 years.
Children's Act 2014 – New Zealand Legislationopen_in_new
Education and Training Act 2020 – New Zealand Legislationopen_in_new
What this means for school property works
Under Clause 10, Schedule 4, of the Education and Training Act 2020, every construction contractor and subcontractor who has, or is likely to have, unsupervised access to students at the school during normal school hours must undergo a Police vet and risk assessment.
This includes contractors who work on construction projects managed by your school, or by us, during school hours.
Contractors who will not have unsupervised access to students at the school during normal school hours do not need a Police vet.
Education and Training Act 2020: Clause 10, Schedule 4 – New Zealand Legislationopen_in_new
Creating a school access plan
The Board determines the contractors' condition of access to the school. A School Access Plan has been developed to reduce the requirement for police vetting, which avoids or minimises the likelihood of contractors having unsupervised access to students during normal school hours. This policy can be included in the project site specific safety plan.
Apply for a Police vet
All Police vetting information must be kept confidential and managed by your school in accordance with the Privacy Act 2020 and the Public Records Act 2005. You cannot share a Police vet with other agencies or accept a Police vet from them.
Police vetting applications may take up to 20 business days to process. A Police vet must be updated by the employer at least every 3 years.
Privacy Act 2020 – New Zealand Legislationopen_in_new
Public Records Act 2005 – New Zealand Legislationopen_in_new
The New Zealand Police website sets out the process for applying for a Police vet.