"He has always displayed a high level of integrity, honesty and responsibility," she told the tribunal.
The school applied for permanent suppression of the names of Albrey and the school, arguing that publication was "likely to generate a public response disproportionate to the gravity of the offending".
The parents or caregivers of three of the four students involved complained to the school after the trip, but the parents of three of the students also supported the school's request to suppressnames.
The fourth student was from overseas and has since left the country.
However the tribunal decided to publish the names of Albrey and the school to show it took the behaviour seriously.
"Students will know that these matters are serious and that it is appropriate to raise concerns about any matter, including matters of safety and compliance with traffic regulations," it said.
"Mr Albrey's conduct served as a poor role model for the students. And his impugned conduct all arose, as charged, out of a failure to properly organise the trip and safely supervise [the students]."
Albrey, who is also a farmer, took the four Year 13 physical education students kayaking on the Waihao River, next to his farm as preparation for a triathlon, which included kayaking.
The agreed statement of facts says he used his own "single-cab utility vehicle which has a front bench seat, and thus seat belts are fitted for only a driver and two passengers".
Albrey had thought one of the students had a full driver's licence and could drive a second vehicle, but found on the day that the student was still on a restricted licence. He let that student to drive alone and put the other three in his ute.
"Because they were pressed into a confined space on the bench seat, none of those students were able to use any of the seatbelts," the agreed statement said.
When they got to the river, the four students got into kayaks without lifejackets.
"Mr Albrey had not arranged for lifejackets to be available, and none were worn," the agreed statement said.
"Mr Albrey was the only adult supervision available there. He absented himself for a time to go to his residence and get socks to change ones which were wet. He did not advise the students he was departing.
"The students later reported being concerned on becoming aware that Mr Albrey was not within sight, and without knowing how long he would be gone."
The agreed statement said only low risks were involved. The 11.5km trip from the school to the river, including 2km on Albrey's driveway, was in a rural area with light traffic, and the river was only thigh-deep, described as much closer to "a sightseeing paddle in a city stream" than to "a river gorge".
The students were experienced paddlers and "the risk that they could not exit a floundering kayak and wade unassisted out of the water was low".
But the tribunal found that Albrey "set a very poor example to these young people".
"He flouted a basic law in this country and reinforced a known misapprehension of young people that they are bulletproof. He also perpetuated the notion that it is all right so long as you don't get caught," the tribunal said.
It censured Albrey and ordered him to attend a risk management course run by Education Outside NZ.
Albrey has since completed the course but no longer appears on the staff list on the Waimate High School website.
Waimate High School board of trustees chairman Mike Dooley said the school investigated as soon as parents complained and reviewed "all associated policies and procedures".
"All staff were required to give written confirmation that they had read, absorbed and understood all of the policies and then also knew what to do if they were at all concerned that they could be in a situation where they may be non-compliant with those policies," he said.
"There have been many learnings from this and the hardest part for the board, principal and teacher is living with what might have gone wrong because of a lapse of judgment by a teacher who has contributed greatly to his school and community over many decades."
