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A police investigation is under way after allegations a staffer at King’s College in Auckland was engaging in inappropriate online activity with someone he believed to be a minor.

Yesterday the school confirmed the worker had resigned and moved off campus after the allegations came to light.

The school reported the matter to police, who have today confirmed an investigation has been launched into the situation.

“The matter was reported to police yesterday in Counties Manukau,” police said in a statement.

“Given the nature of the complaint and the early stages of the investigation, police are unable to comment further at this time.”

Headmaster Simon Lamb told the Herald last night they learnt of the staffer’s alleged online activity yesterday and the matter was “very concerning” to King’s College.

“The school takes matters such as this extremely seriously. We have notified the New Zealand Police today, and we have tonight reached out to parents and guardians asking them to talk with their child about any concerns they may have in light of this information.”

Lamb and chairwoman of the school board of governors, Shan Wilson, also told parents earlier last night the male staffer “acknowledged being involved in inappropriate online activity, where he was under the impression that he was engaging with a minor”.

They wrote that as far as they were aware, this online activity did not involve any King’s College student and it was the first time they had been made aware of concerns over his behaviour.

The staffer also claimed his online activity had not involved any King’s College student, Lamb and Wilson said.

“The college takes matters such as this extremely seriously; as a priority, we need to understand whether any of our students have any concerns they wish to raise with us as a result of this information, and we will ensure they have the necessary support,” their statement read.

“We therefore wanted to contact you as soon as possible, to brief you on the steps we are taking and ask for your assistance in talking with your child.”

Katie Harris is an Auckland-based journalist who covers social issues including sexual assault, workplace misconduct, media, crime and justice. She joined the Herald in 2020.