Mount Maunganui landslide: How Morrinsville school won fight to attend funeral of beloved tutor Lisa Maclennan
Education officials apologised and backtracked after denying a grieving school permission to close for a day to honour their staff member - who died in the Mount Maunganui landslide in January.
The reversal came after the school’s principal wrote a letter asking the Ministry of Education to reconsider and calling for “compassion”.
Morrinsville Intermediate School learning assistant Lisa Anne Maclennan, 50, worked with children who faced challenges in their learning.
She was one of six people killed when a section of the hillside slipped down into the Mount Maunganui Beachside Holiday Park on January 22.
Mans Loke Bernhardsson, 20, Jacqualine Suzanne Wheeler, 71, Susan Doreen Knowles, 71, Sharon Maccanico, 15, and Max Furse-Kee, 15, were also killed.
Maclennan was hailed as a hero in the aftermath of the tragedy.
She had woken fellow campers early in the morning to warn them that the bank above was deteriorating and some later credited her with saving their lives.
But when the Morrinsville Intermediate School community asked if it could close for her funeral, the ministry said no - unless it was willing to make the day up later in the year.
It was a decision ultimately overturned – and the ministry issued an apology for what it described as a “harsh” initial stance after a personal appeal by principal Jenny Clark.
The Herald obtained Clark’s letter, and other correspondence she had with the ministry, under the Official Information Act (OIA).
Dated February 6 – four days before Maclennan’s funeral – Clark wrote to “respectfully request” that the ministry reconsider its response to the school’s application to close so all staff could attend the farewell.
“This is an atypical and deeply distressing time for our staff and wider community,” Clark wrote.
“As school leaders, we are currently navigating staff hauora [health and wellbeing] alongside the responsibility of nurturing and settling our new intake of students, half of whom knew and worked with Lisa.
“I strongly believe that compassion must sit at the centre of our decision-making in moments such as this.”
When the landslide occurred at around 9.30am on January 22, Maclennan was trying to move people away from the campsite’s toilet block - which was then engulfed by an estimated 40 tonnes of debris.
A Givealittle fundraiser later created to raise funds for her family stated she “lost her life trying to save everyone else”.
Clark wrote in her letter that making the school open on the day of Maclennan’s funeral, or to make another day up, “feels misaligned with the values of empathy, humanity, and care that underpin effective leadership of people”.
“It places staff in the untenable position of choosing between their own wellbeing and their commitment to our learners.”
She referenced a Māori proverb that “reminds us that people and relationships are the foundation of strong, successful schools”.
Clark wrote that Morrinsville Intermediate School consistently went the extra mile to support its people and community.
“On this occasion, I am seeking the same understanding in return.”
She said the school community was in a state of collective shock and grief.
“It would send a powerful message that they matter, and that care and compassion are not just spoken values, but enacted ones,” Clark wrote.
“Lisa lost her life helping others, and I respectfully ask that the Ministry reconsider its decision and support our request to close the school for this purpose, by helping us honour Lisa, who was a much respected and valued member of our kura and wider community.”
Clark signed off the letter saying she was looking forward to a “favourable outcome” from the ministry.
The following day, its Waikato director of education, Marcus Freke, replied to Clark.
He said the ministry had “reconsidered” the request and would allow the school to close - with no need to make up the day.
In his reply – included in the ministry’s OIA response to the Herald – Freke added: “I apologise if I appear harsh with my initial position”.
On the eve of Maclennan’s funeral, Freke sent another email saying: “Best of luck for tomorrow. I know it will be a tough day”.
Freke told the Herald that the first request for permission to close the school came on February 4.
“On February 5, 2006, the Ministry advised the school that the Ministry did not support the closure but would be open to it if the day were made up for.”
In the days after Maclennan’s death, the school issued a poignant tribute detailing her commitment to teaching and the gap she would leave in the community.
She was known fondly as “Mrs Mac” and was a tutor at the school’s literacy centre for seven years until her death.
“Her passion was boundless, and she was known for always going the extra mile ... She made an indelible mark on everyone she worked with through her kindness, care and selflessness. She really is a hero in many, many ways!”
Neil Reid is a Napier-based senior reporter who covers general news, features and sport. He joined the Herald in 2014 and has 34 years of newsroom experience.
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