Horowhenua College teacher dismissed over conduct concerns towards student

A high school teacher has been dismissed from Horowhenua College after an investigation upheld concerns regarding conduct towards a student.

The teacher is Asaria Saili, who was previously the language dean, according to the school's website which has since changed.

Last month, the investigation began after police said they had received a report relating to "inappropriate behaviour by a teacher".

Police told RNZ on Tuesday they continued make inquiries and have no other updates.

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Principal Grant Congdon emailed parents on Monday with a statement he shared with RNZ.

"The outcome of our process is that the concerns regarding Mr Asaria Saili's conduct were upheld.

"As such, Mr Saili has been dismissed and he is no longer employed by Horowhenua College."

He said investigations by police and the Teaching Council were still in progress.

"As we do not wish to pre-empt or adversely affect the outcome of these investigations, we are unable to make any further comments at this time."

He said he hoped to assure caregivers that the school takes student safety and wellbeing seriously.

RNZ has asked the Teaching Council for an update.

Previously, its interim chief executive Tom Gott said the council did not ordinarily comment on matters involving people subject to an ongoing statutory process.

However, he said: "We are satisfied that in this case the public interest in the safety of children and young people outweighs the normal privacy considerations."

Gott said the individual was not a registered teacher and did not hold any current authority to teach.

He had previously held a Limited Authority to Teach (LAT), which expired on 7 March 2026.

"The Teaching Council has received serious concerns relating to this individual and has referred these to the appropriate statutory process.

"We are working closely with the school and relevant agencies, and we take our obligations to safeguard children and young people extremely seriously.

"We act promptly on all information received," Gott said.