From February 2, Limited Statutory Manager and former Lincoln High School principal, Linda Tame, took over the functions, powers and duties of the Te Aratai College in Linwood's board and oversight of the curriculum, including teaching and assessment practices.
The board will retain responsibility for its duty of care under the Health and Safety at Work Act 2015.
The Education Review Office report, released on October 6, recommended the Secretary of Education consider appointing the Limited Statutory Manager.
The redeveloped Te Aratai College opened in 2022 after operating off-site for several years. The former Linwood College was demolished after the earthquakes.
The college has experienced rapid roll growth since then, jumping from 870 students in 2022 to 1340 in 2025.
Principal Maria Lemalie-Herbert told The Press she welcomed the support from an experienced educational leader.
“We’re just looking forward to the opportunity to work with the LSM to see what we can do for our school.”
She expected Tame would spend about three weeks working with the senior leadership team to assess the issues and write a report with recommendations.
The report stated “less than half of learners in Years 7 to 10 made expected progress in reading, writing and mathematics” at the school in 2024.
Overall achievement in NCEA levels 1 and 2 had declined since 2020, while level 3 achievement “remains below that of similar schools” with very few students gaining University Entrance.
