Tauranga Boy's College acted unlawfully in expelling and excluding international students caught smoking marijuana outside of schools grounds and time, the High Court has ruled.
Justice Rebecca Ellis yesterday released her decision refusing the school's application for a judicial review of the decision made by the International Education Appeal Authority.
The three pupils excluded from Tauranga Boys' College for smoking marijuana did so outside of school grounds and time.
This means the school has no power to suspend under education law but the school argues the trio - German exchange pupils - were kicked out of class because they breached a contract with the college.
The issue began in March 2014, when five boys used the drug one of them had acquired.