The Teachers Council has ruled a senior teacher can continue in his role after punching a 16-year-old student about eight times in 2006.
A Teachers Council's disciplinary tribunal decision formally censured the teacher for serious misconduct and fined him $1000 plus $3000 costs to the council's complaints assessment committee.
The school, student and teacher were not identified.
The tribunal decision said the unusually lengthy delay in hearing the case included dealing with a series of applications by the student's "understandably agitated" father, who unsuccessfully asked for the case to be heard in public, The New Zealand Herald reported today.
The decision said that at the time the Year 12 student had to report daily to the teacher -- then the Year 12 dean and assistant head of the school's social sciences department.
The student became angry during a discussion with the teacher and threatened him saying "I am going to shit on your lawn".
About 4.15pm that day, he sat across the road from the teacher's house.
When the teacher arrived home he went inside to check that his children were safe, then approached the student and told him to go away.
The tribunal report said a verbal altercation followed, then the teacher grabbed the teenager and punched him about eight times before pushing him away.
A neighbour phoned police and an ambulance.
The decision said the teacher appeared in court on an assault charge and was given diversion on condition of pleading guilty, apologising and attending an anger management course.
The teacher's lawyer, Nicole Carter, told the tribunal the man was a "committed and passionate" teacher and it was the first time he was the subject of a complaint.
He was still employed by the school, but was no longer Year 12 dean or assistant head of the social sciences department.
The tribunal said while there was a degree of provocation, the teacher's actions were "inappropriate" and "out of all proportion to the situation."
"[His actions were] to be condemned."
