Freedom of religion? Ha!
by Judy Gill
Fear of the Ministry of Education overrides obedience to God
NINE DAYS
That is how long it took a Catholic-ethos primary school to respond after concerns were raised about the contents of a five-year-old child’s compulsory classroom exercise books.
The concern was raised with:
• the classroom teacher
• the school manager
• the principal
• the Board
• the school chaplain
For nine days, nothing meaningful was done.
WHAT WAS INSIDE THE EXERCISE BOOKS
Parents ordering stationery online usually see only the cover of the book.
They do not see the inside pages.
Those internal pages become visible only once the books are opened in the classroom.
Inside one of the books were nine named Matariki atua — spiritual entities described as influencing:
• food sources
• fresh water
• the ocean
• rain
• wind
• crops
• the dead
• human wellbeing
• future hopes
This is not astronomy.
It is a belief system.
In plain terms: religion.
A SECOND BOOK — THREE FLAGS
A second exercise book presented three flags in sequence:
• The United Tribes flag
• The New Zealand flag
• The tino rangatiratanga flag
The Māori flag was described in the material as a “National Māori flag.”
Placed together in this sequence, the page presents the three flags as if they share equivalent national standing.
The United Tribes flag was created in 1834 as a shipping flag for a limited confederation of northern iwi. It was not a national flag of New Zealand.
The tino rangatiratanga flag is widely recognised as a political symbol associated with Māori sovereignty movements.
Presented visually to five-year-old children, the page creates a false equivalence.
That is why I use the word sedition.
And I do not withdraw it.
A CATHOLIC SCHOOL
This occurred in a school that promotes a Catholic ethos.
A Catholic school teaches that there is one God. Yet when nine Māori gods appeared inside a New Entrant exercise book, the reaction from the school was not theological clarity.
It was hesitation.
It was evasion.
And it was fear.
THE SCHOOL’S THREE RESPONSES
RESPONSE ONE
“I AM NOT A THEOLOGIAN.”
The school manager’s response was simple:
“I am not a theologian.”
The question raised was not complex theology.
It was basic monotheism.
The First Commandment states:
“You shall have no other gods before me.”
— Exodus 20:3
The concern raised was polytheism appearing inside a Catholic classroom resource.
Yet the school appeared unconcerned.
The answer avoided the substance of the question.
RESPONSE TWO
“PRAGMATIC.”
The principal and the school manager both described the decision not to act as “pragmatic.”
The books had already been distributed.
The children had begun writing in them.
Replacing them would be inconvenient.
Another explanation followed:
“We don’t teach it.”
But the images are still there.
Five-year-old children see them every day.
Young children are highly visual.
If something appears in their books every day, it becomes part of the world the school has placed before them.
Passive exposure still shapes understanding.
Normalization still occurs.
RESPONSE THREE
“THE CHILDREN KNOW WHO THEY ARE.”
The third response came from the school chaplain.
“The children know who they are.”
But the concern raised was not about identity.
The concern raised was the presence of nine named gods inside classroom material used by a Catholic school.
Those gods are certainly not the Holy Spirit.
Yet their presence appeared to cause little concern.
Most New Zealanders had barely heard the term Matariki until it was introduced as a national holiday in 2022.
Polynesian atua have now arrived in the classroom.
Perhaps they have not yet arrived in Rome.
As the Epistle of James states:
“You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that — and shudder.”
— James 2:19
THE TRANSPARENCY ISSUE
Another issue soon became clear.
The classroom teacher had covered the original covers of the exercise books and relabelled them.
• one book became Maths
• another became Art
No parental consultation was required for this.
It was considered normal classroom practice.
A parent then supplied contact paper and offered enough for the entire class so the imagery inside the books could be covered.
The response was no.
Not because it could not be done.
But because doing so would draw attention to what was printed inside.
A teacher may alter the outside of a child’s workbook without consultation.
But drawing attention to the inside content appears to be avoided.
That is not transparency.
It is concealment.
DAY NINE
After nine days something finally happened.
The principal spoke personally to the parents of the New Entrant class.
Only that class.
Nothing was put in writing.
There was:
• no email to the wider school community
• no notice on the school’s HERO communication system
• no written explanation to parents
The matter was contained within the one classroom and handled verbally.
WHAT HAPPENED IN THE CLASSROOM THAT DAY
On that same day something else occurred.
The children learned the Hail Mary.
They made their own rosary beads.
They said the Hail Mary together.
Perhaps this was coincidence.
Perhaps it was part of the religious programme.
Or perhaps it was a deliberate symbolic response.
Were they casting the demons out?
Were they making a statement that this is a Catholic school and it does not recognise Māori gods?
No explanation was given.
But the timing was striking.
THE REAL FEAR
One concern, however, was clearly expressed.
Fear.
Fear of:
• media attention
• public criticism
• the Ministry of Education
• possible consequences for funding or status
The impression left was unmistakable.
The fear was not theological.
It was institutional.
THE LARGER QUESTION
This story is not only about one school.
It raises a broader question.
Religious and political symbolism is increasingly appearing in classroom materials used by very young children.
Parents are shown the cover of the book.
But not the content inside.
If schools want trust from parents, transparency must come first.
Parents have the right to know what worldview material is placed before their children.
And they have the right to question it.
THE FINAL TRUTH
Nine days of silence.
Nine Māori gods inside a New Entrant exercise book.
A verbal message to one classroom.
No written notice.
Then rosary beads and the Hail Mary.
That is not confident leadership.
It is panic management.
And the conclusion may be unavoidable.
The only god this school appears to fear is the Ministry of Education.
