Parents at a lower North Island school are concerned female students will not feel valued by the selection of three boys as head students for 2027.

But Kāpiti College says the school stands by its selection process, and the chosen students should be supported by the community.

In a letter to parents, principal David Lowe wrote that "representation shifts naturally" and reflected how "in 2024 we appointed two female heads of kura, while for 2027 the panel identified three exceptionally strong candidates and appointed three male heads of kura".

Kāpiti College announced the three boys as heads at its prizegiving last week. The announcement was made alongside a wider student leadership team, mixed between boys and girls.

One parent, who contacted RNZ following the announcement, said she was concerned the message the school was sending with no female head students.

"I'm not trying to take away from those boys - from what I hear they are great, their individual capability is not the question.

"It's about the bigger picture for me, as we all know women are still under-represented in leadership and CEO positions, and so I think schools just have a responsibility to challenge that, and not inadvertently reinforce it."

The parent said as head students, the three boys were representing a large, diverse school with students from different experiences and backgrounds.

"I just don't feel that is representing everybody."

She was worried younger students who were not sporty or did not see themselves in their leaders would rule themselves out of going for those positions one day.

"It's all about these young people - what they think leadership looks like and who can be a leader."

She said she had heard multiple parents had written into the school raising concerns, and other students had raised concerns too.

Another parent, who also spoke with RNZ, said the boys were outstanding young people but it was not a fair representation.

"I think it sends a startlingly stark message to any young woman, not only in the college, but across the community, that women are just not valued."

RNZ has approached Lowe for comment.

In the email to the school community - which RNZ has seen - Lowe said the school was confident its selection process was thorough and collaborative. It had been based on written applications, scenario workshops, pastoral reviews and interviews.

"Appointments are decided by a panel of middle leaders, senior leadership and current head students, who evaluate candidates on their service, living of Parihaka Mai Ai, academic balance and teamwork."

The school decided to retire traditional head boy and girl titles in 2022 to support gender diversity and select leaders on merit rather than quotas.

Lowe said he had heard community concerns about female representation and was grateful for the kōrero shared. He said the school community and student body would have the opportunity to review the head student selection process ahead of 2028, including whether gender-defined roles should be revisited.

Lowe said female students continued to hold more of the positions across the wider senior leadership captaincies, which included te waka rangatahi, Pasifika, sports, academic, service, tech, political advocacy and an all-female hauora team.

"We always welcome constructive feedback, and invite whānau to contact myself directly. Our newly appointed heads of kura have stepped forward with genuine hearts to serve their peers, and they deserve to feel deeply proud and fully supported by our community."