Classmate: Party pills stolen from home

Students were offered the pills at morning break. Photo / Supplied

The pink party pills which landed six Fairfield College students in Waikato Hospital's emergency department were taken from a student's home, according to classmates.

A Year 11 student told the Herald she had been at class yesterday morning and had been told one of the younger girls had stolen the 16 pills from home.

Another student told the Waikato Times the student who brought them to school said she had taken them from her father's stash.

Asked if police were looking into claims that the pills had been stolen from an adult or parent, Waikato Police city area commander Inspector Rob Lindsay said: "Until we've interviewed all the people concerned we really can't comment.

"We are investigating a line of inquiry. I'm not saying another [line of inquiry] won't come out but from what we've been told we are just following a line at this stage."

Mr Lindsay said police were hoping to have the substance in the pills analysed by ESR in the next two days, but would not know if any offence had been committed until they knew what the substance was.

When the six teens arrived at Waikato Hospital's busy emergency department at 1.30pm on Monday they were abusive, aggressive and trying to make jokes and staff took 20 minutes trying to prise them out of the school van.

They were discharged at 5pm.

Waikato Hospital emergency physician Dr Tonia Nicholson said the girls were extremely lucky as the outcome could have been much worse.

It is understood that urine and blood tests were taken from the girls so Waikato Hospital could determine what class of drug it was.

Fairfield College board of trustees chairman Jonas Hapuku would not comment on whether the pills were stolen from a parent and instead sent the Herald a short written statement which said it would be premature to comment given that the incident was under investigation.

Seven students were taken to hospital but only six had taken the pills. Five others tasted them but then spat them out.

Police spent yesterday interviewing the students involved, parents, teachers at the school and medical staff and were in the early stages of the investigation as they tried to find out where the pills came from.

The interviews are likely to take three days.

A Year 9 student told the Herald he had seen the small pink pills - which have been said to look like smokers' lollies - being offered to students at the morning break on Monday.

The boy said other students had been told the small pink pills were lollies.

A special half-hour assembly was held for Year 9 and 10 students yesterday as the older students are on exam leave. Fairfield College acting principal Gerhard van Dyk said the students taken to hospital had been discharged, and he highlighted the danger of taking unknown substances. The girls were not at school yesterday.

Students were sent home with a newsletter to parents to inform them of the incident.

A spokesman for the Minister of Education, Anne Tolley, said she had asked for a full report on events and on Fairfield College's board.