Parents who wish to enrol their children should understand the nature of a Catholic school. The curriculum has a religious dimension which needs the support of the family if the child is to fully benefit by the Catholic education provided.

Enrolment into a Catholic school is largely reserved for students who can demonstrate a connection to the Catholic faith. The criterion used to determine preference is that the “parents have established a particular or general religious connection with the special character of the school”, as required by the school’s Integration Agreement. This can only be evidenced by obtaining a Preference Certificate from your Parish Priest. Note that neither the Principal nor the Board of Trustees can provide a Preference Certificate. 

Our schools have a maximum roll agreed to by the Government, and of this maximum roll a small number of places (typically 5%) may be made available to ‘non-preference’ students. Enrolment of non-preference students is at the school’s discretion, and only if space is available.

Principals handle enrolment in their schools. Please refer to your local school for further information.

Our schools are Roman Catholic schools in which the whole school community, through the general school programme and in its religious instructions and observances, exercises the right to live and teach the values of Jesus Christ. These values are as expressed in the Scriptures and in the practices, worship and doctrine of the Roman Catholic Church, as determined from time to time by the Roman Catholic Bishop of the diocese.

The following phrases in the above statement are significant:

• Roman Catholic: In stating that the school is Roman Catholic, the definition asserts that the fundamental motive that drives the school is religious and Catholic.

• School community: The school community includes the students, their parents (who are the foremost educators of their children), the teaching and non-teaching staff and the Board. The RC Bishop of Hamilton (the Proprietor) is pre-eminently a member of the school community. Because the school is an integral part of the pastoral ministry of the Church, its community comprises the local church led by the Bishop of our diocese. The parish school actualises the local church in the parish.

• General school programme: By referring to “the general school programme” as well as the “religious Instruction and observances”, the definition stresses that the religious goals of the school must not be separated from its other educational goals. Each is embedded in the other; each “exercises the right to live and teach the values of Jesus Christ”.

• Values: The “values of Jesus Christ” are expressed in scripture and in living Catholic tradition. They are normally identified in the school’s charter and are unabashedly Christian being sourced from the gospels. The precept “to love God above all things and one’s neighbour as oneself” sums up the values of Jesus Christ. Values and virtues education in a Catholic school is fundamental to the life of the school. All staff in a Catholic school are expected to model these values and virtues in their behaviour and to teach and proclaim them to their students.

• Bishop’s determination: Finally, the statement says that it is the Bishop of the diocese who has the ultimate responsibility for determining whether the practices, worship and teachings in the school are indeed Catholic. The Bishop of the diocese (in union with the Pope and all other Catholic Bishops) exercises the Church’s teaching authority. In New Zealand the Bishop of each diocese acts together under the New Zealand Catholic Bishops Conference (NZCBC).

Read more HERE

PRIVACY POLICY

Catholic Integrated Schools Office Hamilton (CISO) on behalf of RC Bishop of Hamilton 

Introduction:

The Catholic Integrated Schools Office (CISO) on behalf of RC Bishop of Hamilton is committed to promoting and protecting the privacy of all individuals who provide personal information to it or who agree to have their information shared with it.

This policy seeks compliance with the new Privacy Act 2020, which came into force on 1 December 2020, and the Information Privacy Principles therein. The Privacy Act describes how the CISO may collect, use, store, and dispose of personal information and the requirements around breaches. The Office of the Privacy Commissioner is empowered by the Privacy Act 2020 to administer, monitor, and enforce compliance. Among the many functions of the Privacy Commissioner's Office is that of investigating any alleged breaches and non-compliance with the Privacy Act 2020.

Purpose of this policy:

• To provide guidance on the following aspects of managing personal information:

• How CISO Hamilton collects and stores personal information what personal information CISO Hamilton collects

• How CISO Hamilton uses and discloses of personal information about individuals

• How individuals may access personal information relating to them that is held by CISO Hamilton how personal information is disposed of by CISO Hamilton

• How to address complaints of breaches of privacy by CISO Hamilton

• How CISO Hamilton responds to the requirements of the Privacy Commissioner and the Privacy Act 2020

This policy applies in addition to any other policy and processes which may be adopted by the CISO Hamilton about its specific functions or activities. In the event of an inconsistency between this policy and any other policy or process, this policy prevails.

Policy Statement:

The Privacy Act 2020 is primarily concerned with the protection of personal information and good information handling practices. The CISO is responsible for ensuring these guidelines and practices are followed, through their processes and/or procedures.

Collecting, using, accessing, correcting, storing, and disposing of personal information

(The number in brackets after each guideline refers to the relevant information privacy principle.)

When CISO Hamilton collects personal information about an individual, it makes known the purpose of collecting it, who will have access to it, and whether it is compulsory or optional information. Individuals (or parents/guardians on behalf of minors) have the right to request access to, and correction of, their personal information.

CISO Hamilton only collects personal information

• For purposes connected with the function of CISO Hamilton, and only when it is necessary to have this information [1]

• Directly from the person concerned (or their parent or guardian) or from the Catholic Integrated school in which the child is enrolled, was previously enrolled, or is intended to be enrolled in the future. That is unless it is the information is publicly available elsewhere, or the person's interests are not prejudiced when the information is collected from elsewhere [2]

• Transparently and respectfully. [1,3,4]

CISO has safeguards in place to protect personal information from loss, unauthorised access, use, or disclosure. These safeguards include (but are not limited to) the use of individual electronic logins, the use of two-factor authentication, and lockable storage systems.

If an individual (or a parent/guardian in the case of minors) wants access to information CISO Hamilton holds about them, CISO Hamilton will provide it.

If an individual (or a parent/guardian in the case of minors) requests the correction of their information held by CISO Hamilton, where possible CISO Hamilton will make the requested correction. If they are unable to do so, a record of the request is attached to the information held. All such requests must be made in writing [6, 7]

CISO Hamilton takes reasonable steps to ensure that personal information is correct, up-to-date, relevant, and not misleading. [8]

Parents/guardians can now view and update their personal information and that of their child/children via the CISO Hamilton parent portal (details of which should they wish to do so)

CISO Hamilton will only keep information for as long as it is required to by law and/or to satisfy its obligations. It will then be destroyed by secure means. [9]

Information is only used for the purposes for which it was obtained except in certain circumstances (for example, for statistical purposes where the person's identity is not disclosed or for debt collection if applicable). [10]

CISO Hamilton safeguards people’s information and does not release that information to third parties unless we are specifically permitted to, or required, to do so by law. This covers disclosure to persons other than those who have legitimate access rights, to material about others (such as a guardian of a minor).

As a general rule, information held by CISO about any person is not given to a third party without the person's knowledge and consent, unless:

• The information is already publicly available

• Specific consent to the sharing of the information has been given

• It is being passed on in connection with a purpose for which it was obtained

• The right to privacy is over-ridden by other legislation

• It is necessary for the protection of individual or public health and safety. [11, 12]

By signing an Enrolment Contract with a Catholic Integrated School, you consent to any information held about you and/or your child being shared by that school with CISO Hamilton

• You consent to any information held by CISO Hamilton about you and/or your child being shared with the following as applicable

• Any other New Zealand CISO

• Any Catholic integrated school in which your child is enrolled, has previously been enrolled, or is intended to be enrolled in the future

• The parish office associated with the school in which your child is currently enrolled, has previously been enrolled, or is intended to be enrolled

• Debt collection agencies engaged by CISO Hamilton (if applicable)

• The Inland Revenue Department of New Zealand (Te Tari Taake)

• Work and Income New Zealand (Te Hiranga Tangata)

• Ministry For Children (Oranga Tamariki)

Legal Holds: preserving records during litigation or investigations

Whenlitigation, an audit, or an investigation occurs or is reasonably anticipated, a written notice (referred to as a “Litigation Hold Notice” or “Legal Hold”) will be issued to the appropriate staff. All records, whether official records, information copies, working documents, or transitory records, potentially relevant to the matter must be retained until the Litigation Hold is terminated. The effect of this notice is to freeze or suspend the destruction or alteration of records, electronically stored information, and other materials identified in the notice.

The Motu Proprio by Pope Francis, Vos Estis Lux Mundi, Article 2, §2 also provides for data protection about complaints of sexual abuse matters.

Records relevant to the matter may not be destroyed (even if the retention period as outlined above has expired or expires during the Litigation Hold) until the action is resolved and a notice terminating the Litigation Hold has been issued. There are serious legal consequences for individuals that destroy or alter records under a Litigation Hold or know of a pending issue and do not halt destruction.

Privacy Breaches:

Privacy Breaches are the loss of personal information to a third party that has no right to that information. If you believe that a privacy breach has occurred, this should be reported to CISO Hamilton in the first instance.

Compliance Notices:

Under the Privacy Act 2020, the Privacy Commissioner will be able to direct agencies to provide individuals access to their personal information. The Diocesan Privacy Officer is responsible for liaising with the Privacy Commissioner and any relevant manager should a compliance notice be received.

Websites:

All websites of CISO Hamilton must be compliant with the Privacy Act 2020. The following is a guideline of your rights as a visitor to these websites:

• If you access our website(s), we may collect additional personal information about you in the form of your IP address and domain name. Our website uses cookies. The main purpose of cookies is to identify users and to prepare customised web pages for them. Cookies do not identify you personally, but they may link back to a database record about you.

• We use cookies to monitor usage of our website(s) and to create a personal record of when you visit our website and what pages you view so that we may serve you more effectively.

• Our website may contain links to other websites or usage of third-party websites. We are not responsible for the privacy practices of linked websites, other than CISO sites, and linked websites are not subject to our privacy policies and procedures. We are not responsible for risks and liabilities when engaging in any third-party websites or communication media and applications such as Facebook, Twitter, WhatsApp, TikTok or Google.

• Please refer to the Terms of Use on individual websites for further details.

Changes to our Privacy Policy:

CISO Hamilton reserves the right to amend this privacy policy from time to time to ensure that it complies with current legal requirements, or to implement any changes to our functions and activities.

Date Approved: 9/6/2023

Date for Review: 9/6/2025