A Gloriavale teacher has been censured for serious misconduct after striking a 14-year-old student with a vacuum cleaner pipe.

Malachi Faithful hit the student on the leg in 2013 after they made an obnoxious remark.

The incident was not reported until nine years later - after the student had left the Christian community - prompting a police charge of assault with a weapon in December 2022.

Faithful pleaded guilty and was granted a discharge without conviction, having been ordered to pay $1250 in emotional harm reparation.

He resumed teaching at Gloriavale in November 2023.

In a newly published decision, the New Zealand Teachers Disciplinary Tribunal found Faithful's actions were "an impulsive individual act of force in response to a student's remark" which constituted serious misconduct.

The tribunal found that striking a student with an object amounted to physical abuse, which adversely affected student wellbeing.

The tribunal opted against deregistration - noting in its decision that Faithful had apologised and had a clean prior record and a low ongoing risk.

Instead, it formally censured Faithful and placed strict conditions on his practising certificate.

Faithful must complete a one-year mentoring programme focused on self-regulation and classroom behaviour management, and he is required to inform any prospective employers of the tribunal's decision for the next two years.

The tribunal ordered Faithful to pay $3246 in legal costs and $427.30 in tribunal costs.

Faithful's legal counsel argued against costs - citing his 10 children and shared community income - but the panel rejected the claim due to a lack of formal financial evidence.