A Nelson father of five is reeling after seeing footage of his 14-year-old son being attacked in a school bathroom.
Mike Harvey said the attack at Waimea College took place on February 20. His son stayed in the toilet after a group of boys outside threatened to beat him up.
He eventually emerged and told his father he'd decided to unlock the door and "take the beating" in the hope that if he did they'd leave him alone.
It came after his son received multiple threats online, which his father became aware of.
The attack, videoed by teenage onlookers, shows the boy being punched in the head several times, with some cheering as they looked on. 1News has chosen not to reveal the footage.
"I told the school prior to this assault and explained to the Year 9 Deans that I was concerned for my son's safety and I was also concerned that he was no longer his usual self," Harvey said.
"I made it clear that if he appeared on the Deans' radar for any reason whatsoever, I would like to be contacted so I could get a phone call, so I can develop a picture of what was happening for him.
"I never got a phone call," he said.
He said the attack was a result of six months-worth of bullying.
Harvey said the school has not apologised over the incident.
"The school isn't in the mood to apologise, they are in full-blown defence mode. There was more than one kid involved here and in my view, they should account for their actions and accept they are wrong. If they can't do that they need a more severe punishment."
Waimea College responds
The school's principal Scott Haines is currently overseas but told 1News: "These are real issues for schools and communities up and down the country, and I know there is a huge commitment to helping our young people navigate the challenges they are facing, both inside and outside the school gates."
Associate principal Natasha Hitchman sent 1News a copy of a letter sent to parents yesterday.
In it, the school acknowledged the incident and said "as soon as we were alerted to the incident, we spoke with parents of the students and began our formal disciplinary processes".
"You may be aware of a video circulating online of an incident that took place at school last week. While we are fortunate that this type of incident is not common at the college, we wanted to touch base with you and confirm we are aware of this and affirm that we have no tolerance for violence of any kind in our school environment.
"While we can confirm we have taken action in accordance with our disciplinary process, we are unable to provide further details regarding the outcomes as these need to be kept confidential. We can confirm that the school's disciplinary response to this incident is multi-faceted including specialist agencies — one student will not be returning to the mainstream environment. The police are also aware of this incident. We can also advise that immediate action was taken last week," the letter read.
Local Labour MP Rachel Boyak told 1News she has spoken to two parents today about particular incidents of bullying at the school.
"I've also had a handful of people contact me about incidents of physical attacks occurring at the college," she said.
She said she's been in contact with Haines today despite him not being in the country and said she made the decision to connect concerned parents with local Ministry of Education leaders in Nelson.
"That's a useful connection to make so the parents can talk to the ministry and the ministry can support the school.
"For any young people who have been harmed, it's important they have the right support."
"I absolutely agree kids should feel safe at school and it should be a safe and enjoyable place. Parents should be raising their concerns with the school but I am more than happy for them to contact me as well," Boyak said.
She said with Haines being overseas, being able to connect parents with the ministry has been "immensely helpful".
If you have experienced bullying at Waimea College or are a concerned parent or caregiver, contact Jane Nixon at Jane.Nixon@tvnz.co.nz
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