Conflict between pupils at two Hastings schools is believed to have been the cause of a mass brawl which put a police officer in hospital last night.
Police were today continuing their investigations in the after-school brawl which involved more than 200 pupils aged between 13 and 15, and sparked a big police callout.
More than 30 officers called to Flaxmere Park to deal with the brawl about 3.30pm yesterday.
Police believe the fight had been organised, probably by text message and it was understood the pupils were from Flaxmere College and Hastings Boys High School.
Flaxmere College principal Nigel Hanton described the fight as "a very rare and unusual event".
He told the Dominion Post the school would be looking into it but did not want to comment further last night.
One 14-year-old boy is to appear in the Youth Court at Hastings today charged with assaulting a police officer. Six other pupils aged between 13 and 15 were arrested and charged with disorderly behaviour likely to cause violence, including a 13-year-old boy found in possession of a chain.
No other weapons were seen by police.
One officer was taken to hospital with a split cheek, requiring three stitches, after being punched in the face. Another suffered a neck injury while arresting one of the youths.
It took officers almost an hour to break up the fight and clear the area.
Acting Senior Sergeant Cory Ubels said the brawl may have been retaliation for a conflict between two schools on Monday.
Yesterday, two police officers were at one of the schools questioning pupils following the first fight when they heard about the gathering at Flaxmere Park and went to investigate. "When they got there it turned into an all-out brawl. As they stepped in to break up the fighting that's when the officer got punched in the face. It's very worrying," Mr Ubels said.
"A large number of police officers were called in from around the area in order to control the students and bring the situation under control," Mr Ubels said.
Mr Ubels said officers had pepper spray but did not use it for fear of escalating the situation.
"(It's) taken a lot of resources for a bunch of idiots who took the law into their own hands to deal with an incident that happened the day before," he said.
"It's a waste of police time and it's a waste of police resources."
Local anti-violence campaigner Henare O'Keefe said the park was a hot spot for youth fighting after school as buses dropped children from several Hastings high schools at the park.
