School principal Michele Mill confirmed two parents had spoken to staff about the incident. A third had been given advice by teachers to "help their child rekindle their belief. I understand the parents were satisfied with their discussions with the staff they approached," she said.
Mill thought there had been a misunderstanding. The reliever's explanation was different from what children told their parents. "The reliever said she was doing Christmas activities with the children when one said Santa didn't exist," Mill said.
"Her response was impartial, as in, 'Well, I'm not sure about that' and they carried on with their activities."
Parents said a few days later the regular class teacher, Ailsa Mitchell, "did a great job" in restoring the children's belief in Santa.
Mill said other teachers had since done Christmas activities and the children "were as believing and excited about Santa as any child of this age is expected to be".
"What was said or understood to have been said has had no lasting negative effect on our children," Mill said.
Similar incidents have caused outrage overseas. Last month, a UK priest was accused of being "plain mean" when he told children Santa was fake.
In 2012, a Texas kindergarten teacher was scorned for telling a class of preschoolers Santa wasn't real.
School trustee association president Lorraine Kerr said she had not heard of a similar case in New Zealand. "It's an unusual story. That is some poor child's illusions shattered," she said.
