Compulsory new checks have stopped 156 people from working with children after their violent and sexual criminal pasts were flagged. The process checks for 40 violent and sexual offences on a person's criminal record and is now compulsory for anyone who works with children in state-funded organisations. Principals' Federation police and education partnership representative, Perry Rush, said the 156 applicants caught through the system was good news for the industry. Mackay said that the information could not be broken down to reveal the location of applicants, their age, gender and work classification. "First and foremost it is good news - we are very interested in keeping children safe, that is fundamental," he said.

Source: New Zealand Herald August 11, 2016 06:10 UTC