Wanganui secondary school principals say the drug abuse that left six teenage girls needing treatment at Hamilton Hospital would be a principal's worst nightmare.
Cullinane principal Kevin Shore said Fairfield College had been fortunate a nurse was there.
"Look, it just doesn't bear thinking about," he said. "It frightens me. We keep up with all the latest information from police on drugs like meth, but thankfully there hasn't been a problem here so far and I hope there never will be."
Wanganui City College principal Pete Kaua said he had sent a message to Fairfield staff: "I have very good friends teaching there. I wanted them to know we are thinking of them and kia kaha from us."
Police are investigating the origin of the pink party pills that landed the girls in the hospital's emergency department.
Waikato Police city area commander Inspector Rob Lindsay said that until all concerned had been interviewed he could not comment.
Police hoped 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 the results.
When the six teens arrived at the hospital's busy emergency department at 1.30pm on Monday they were abusive, aggressive and trying to make jokes. Staff took 20 minutes trying to prise them out of the school van. They were discharged at 5pm.
Hospital emergency physician Dr Tonia Nicholson said the girls were extremely lucky because the outcome could have been much worse.
It is understood that urine and blood tests were taken so that the hospital could determine what class of drug had been involved.
Fairfield College board of trustees chairman Jonas Hapuku would not comment on whether the pills were stolen from a parent and 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 spat them out.
A Year 11 student said she had been told one of the younger girls had stolen the 16 pills from home.
A Year 9 student said he had seen the small pink pills - said to look like smokers' sweets - being offered to students at Monday's morning break. The boy said other students had been told the pills were sweets.
Students were sent home with a newsletter informing parents of the incident.
A spokesman for Minister of Education Anne Tolley said she had asked for a full report on events and on Fairfield College's board.
Mr Kaua and Mr Shore said they had zero-tolerance drug policies that were clearly spelled out to all students.
Mr Kaua said City College had never really had a drug problem.
"Our main problem - and we are getting well on top of it now - is disobedience, rather than drugs."