In a developing case that raises serious concerns about digital security and transparency in educational institutions, Bangerz Trust is currently under police investigation for alleged unauthorized attempts to access Kelston Boys High School's digital systems. This controversy has attracted significant public attention, especially considering the trust’s prior controversial activities related to school governance.
The story took an intriguing turn when the trust, known as Bangerz Education and Wellbeing Trust, made headlines last year for its ambitious effort to transform a well-established Auckland public school into a charter school. After facing widespread community opposition, the trust decided to withdraw its application last month, but questions about its intentions and methods remain.
According to former and current staff at Kelston Boys High School, a formal complaint was lodged with police in August after accusations surfaced that members associated with Bangerz attempted a breach of the school's secure computer network. It is alleged that a 20-year-old individual linked to the trust used credentials from a current student to gain access to the school's portal. The main goal of this unauthorized intrusion was reportedly to retrieve the school’s roll—an official list of students—and contact email addresses, raising concerns over privacy and security.
Detective Senior Sergeant Ryan Bunting confirmed that a formal investigation is underway. He explained, “A complaint about the offense of dishonestly accessing a computer system has been received. The case remains active, and we’re unable to provide further details at this stage.” This statement underscores the seriousness of the allegations and the ongoing nature of the investigation.
In the lead-up to the alleged incident, it is reported that people connected to Bangerz made multiple requests to access the electoral roll—the official voter list used for school elections—which is a matter of public record available for inspection prior to voting. Documents reveal that James Cherrington-Thomas, the 21-year-old chairperson of Bangerz, explicitly asked to review the electoral roll in a letter dated July 14, ahead of upcoming election processes.
Legally, schools are required to make the election roll accessible for reasonable inspection times, including details such as the names of eligible voters but excluding personal contact information. Nonetheless, Bangerz requested additional access, claiming they wanted to use the information to better understand the voting body.
Further complicating the situation, the trust also sent an email on July 31 to the office of New Lynn MP Paulo Garcia. The email challenged the school’s restrictions on access, arguing that the roll should be reviewed without restrictions like note-taking or copying, suggesting a possible bypass of privacy protections. Strikingly, the sender of this email used multiple names, including references to two recent Kelston Boys students, raising questions about the authenticity and intent behind the message.
The email itself was sent from an address linked to Rhys Cullen, a notable figure within the trust. Cullen, often called “the Doc” by students, maintains a complex history: he was a general practitioner whose professional license was revoked in 2007 due to misconduct, and he also has a criminal record—including a conviction for receiving stolen cars in 2009 through his involvement in a scrap metal business.
Despite these questionable connections, Kelston Boys High School allowed the trust to view the election roll solely to verify names, and school staff also consulted with external organizations such as Schooled and the NZ School Boards Association to seek guidance on lawful governance procedures.
Subsequently, Bangerz Trust reached out to the New Zealand Education Minister Erica Stanford, with an email that was also signed off by another young individual linked to the trust but dispatched from Cullen’s email address. The message expressed concern about the inability to verify if all parents of students were included in the roll, citing potential impacts on the trust’s election activities and possible media attention that might harm the school's reputation.
In September, the school’s election concluded, with a Bangerz-associated student—19-year-old Sione Lisala—successfully elected to the school board. Later that year, in October, the school learned that Bangerz was attempting to pursue a formal bid to convert Kelston Boys High into a charter school starting from January 2026. However, immense community resistance led to the abandonment of this plan.
When contacted, Bangerz represented itself as unaware of any formal complaints or police inquiries regarding these incidents and did not respond to questions about the alleged network breach. Kelston Boys High School has also declined to comment publicly.
