Trouble after hazing at top school

Burning allegations lead to please explain summons for parents and pupils.

Students from a top Auckland school and their parents have been summoned to a “please explain” meeting tomorrow after a hazing incident during a school sports tournament.

The Herald on Sunday has been told the incident allegedly involved a teenager being burned with a warm iron by older teammates as part of an initiation during a tournament.

The incident happened at the hotel where the team was staying while competing in the secondary school sports tournament last week.

It is understood the ages of the team ranged from 16 to 18, and that one member was a school prefect.

The principal of the school — which the Herald on Sunday has chosen not to name — confirmed there was an incident at the tournament but would not discuss details until he had spoken to all involved.

“The chairman and I have been advised of an incident and the boys are now back in Auckland,” he said.

“Until we get the boys together and we can get the details we cannot confirm any details.”

There is another week left of school holidays but the principal has scheduled an urgent meeting for the team, and their parents, tomorrow.

“They are meeting with myself and the director of pastoral care with all of the parents,” he said.

“From what we understand at the moment we have a young fellow and his parents are keen we follow the proper procedure and process.

“We are mindful we get it right and they are indeed allegations until we have them confirmed.”

The principal said the school’s process was robust and consistent.

“We stand by the values of our college and if anyone transgresses those it is completely unacceptable.”

Hazing is the act of using abuse or humiliation as a way of initiating a person into a group.

A man at the tournament, who wished to remain anonymous, said the “hazing incident was disgusting”.

He said that at the beginning of the competition it was made clear that unacceptable behaviour could result in being pulled from the team.

Despite that, the three boys allegedly responsible were still free to play in the knockout stage of the event.

The man said he believed the three students responsible would face consequences when they got back to school. He was outraged they were still allowed to play.

“We feel this is crap and nothing is going to change . . . How does this continue to happen in our sport?”

A woman at the tournament, who wished to remain anonymous, said the three boys responsible were stood down for one game but were allowed to play for the rest of the tournament.

She believed that the boy who was burned was unable to play for a day because of his injury.

“It’s absolutely disgusting,” she said. “If they had done that sort of thing in a public arena, they would have been arrested.

“I think they should be expelled and I think that they should be prevented from playing.”

Another parent had been told there was an incident but he did not know the details.

He said that even if some members of the team had been involved in a hazing incident he was supportive of them not being pulled out of the tournament.

“A team’s a team, you don’t pull a player out at the last minute . . . You let the team down.”

The coach of the team would not comment.