A Northland teacher who hit pupils with sticks and a guitar has been struck off.
Patrick Tokoroa Heke's registration was cancelled by the Teachers Disciplinary Tribunal after he was charged with serious misconduct for using physical force against students in his Year 3 class.
Heke did not engage in the disciplinary process and did not submit any evidence in his defence.
The incidents occurred while Heke was employed as a kaiako at a Whangārei school in 2021, with six young witnesses from his class telling the tribunal about his conduct.
During one incident, a boy, described as being either seven or eight years old, said he put a toy car in his pocket. Heke told him to put the toy in his drawer. When the boy refused, the teacher grabbed him, dug into his pocket, took the car, and pushed him over. The boy said he landed on his shoulder, injuring his wrist.
The boy also told the tribunal about "ongoing conduct" where Heke would hit his arms, shoulders, and head with a stick when he was "playing around". He also said Heke would hit him in the head with a "medium-sized" guitar when he was not listening.
The stick was described as a wooden bark reaching his waist.
'Didn't even push him that hard'
During another incident, the boy's 11-year-old brother said he witnessed Heke grab the child, pull him from a line, and shove him to the ground.
He confronted Heke after helping his brother up, who allegedly said he "didn't even push him that hard".
After hearing about what happened, the boys' mother reported the incident to the school and made a formal complaint. The boys were not re-enrolled in 2022 and had become "reluctant" to go back to school.
Another 7-year-old told the tribunal Heke had hit her in the head with a stick during reading time. Heke then told her not to do "it" again. The girl said it "only hurt a little bit", but still made her want to cry.
She described the stick as being long, thin, and brown, and went up to Heke's hip.
She said he would hit students in the head with it "daily" and would “hit a lot of other people” with no apparent reason.
Another child, also aged 7, said Heke hit him in the head with a tokotoko (a traditional Māori stick) and a guitar.
The boy told the tribunal Heke would hit students when they were "being stupid" or "not listening".
He described them as "medium smacks" that left children sore and scared. He said the boy from the first incident described "got hit on the head the most". He also said one kid had a "lump on his head" after being hit.
'Represents conduct of utmost seriousness'
The Complaints Assessment Committee (CAC), which conducts investigations for the tribunal, said it reached out to Heke and the school to gather information.
During a phonecall, Heke called the allegations "BS", expressing frustration with the process, saying it had stripped his mana and destroyed his teaching career.
Following its probe, the CAC said Heke's conduct would occur "regularly". The tribunal found him to have committed serious misconduct.
"The sustained use of physical force against young children, particularly striking them on the head with implements, represents conduct of utmost seriousness," the tribunal wrote in its decision.
"No teacher who engaged in such conduct can be considered safe to remain in the classroom.
"Mr Heke’s conduct demonstrates a concerning pattern of using violence to manage student behaviour, entirely contrary to modern pedagogical principles and professional expectations."
It also said that because of Heke's "complete disengagement' from the proceedings, "we have no evidence of insight into his conduct, remorse or steps taken to ensure such conduct would not recur".
"Without such evidence, we cannot be satisfied that he poses no ongoing risk to students."
Heke's practising certificate was cancelled, and he was censored. He was also ordered to pay costs of $10,397.67 to the CAC
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