Tauranga Boys' College taking legal advice as more sexual complaints come in about former teacher Pinky Green

Pinky Green taught at Tauranga Boys' College for at least 28 years. The school is now taking legal advice, including the possibility of a police investigation into the scale of offending. Photo / NZME

More men have come forward with complaints about former Tauranga Boys' College teacher Pinky Green since the school publicly apologised for his sexual harassment of students in the 1980s.

Open Justice revealed on Saturday that Green, who died in January, was accused in 1988 of sexually propositioning a boy for bondage in his office during school hours.

There were also similar allegations from three other boys at the same time and Green resigned soon after.

Board of Trustees chairwoman Nikki Iuli said more complainants had come forward since the apology was published.

"The College is in direct contact with these complainants and will be reviewing potential actions to address their concerns," Iuli said in a statement.

The late Pinky Green was a teacher at Tauranga Boys' College when he resigned in 1988 after allegations of inappropriate behaviour surfaced. Now more complainants have come forward. Photo / File

"The College is taking legal advice, including the possibility of a police investigation into the scale of the alleged offending."

She said until a potential legal review was completed, the school was unable to answer any specific questions relating to the historic incidents, including how many complainants had come forward.

Open Justice revealed on Saturday how former student Glenn Marshall approached the school last year asking for a public apology in the hope others would come forward with their experiences too.

Marshall said it was gut-wrenching to know there were other complainants, in addition to what happened to him and three other boys he knew of at the time.

"I'm shattered. I feel for them. It's breaking my heart, 33 years later."

Marshall, who now lives in Napier, said he was a seventh former (in Year 13) when the English teacher and head of the library called him to his office and propositioned him.

"The proposition entailed him being naked and me tying him up to a chair and doing bondage on him, including caning him.

"He also suggested 'going further' if I was interested and that he could also perform the same sort of activities on me if I were interested.

"He offered me money, as well as 'assistance' on my English class, including grades. He also pointed out that as a senior teacher his word would be believed over mine, so I should keep this matter secret."

Glenn Marshall sought a public apology from Tauranga Boys' College over historical predatory behaviour by a school teacher, and is now in contact with potential new victims. Photo / Warren Buckland

Marshall rebuffed the offer and reported it to a guidance counsellor who took it to then principal Graham Young and former Board of Trustees chairman Bill Holland.

Three other students made similar complaints.

Marshall, now 51, claims the school asked him to lay a trap for Green by agreeing to a "session" at the library office that Saturday morning but it was a lawyer and a school representative who attended and put the allegations to Green.

The teacher was suspended and investigated and Holland and Young took the "damning report" to police who advised there was no criminal offence in the propositions.

They met with the four sets of parents and Holland said it was unanimously agreed Green should resign with the reasons being confidential.

After Marshall wrote to the school late last year, it conducted a review of the 1980s investigation.

It found there was no suggestion that Green's misconduct extended to any other students besides those four.

The 2022 review also found there was no evidence the case was "swept under the rug" and there was no need for a public apology.

But, Marshall said that was because the school never went looking for other victims at the time.

"Instead they favoured an approach of agreeing to Pinky Green resigning under the false pretence of 'ill health', coupled with a confidentiality agreement."

Marshall believed the school had prioritised "reputational damage" control over the wellbeing of the boys.

In a statement on Friday to past and current students, Iuli apologised for the historical incidents and acknowledged the review of Marshall's complaint was "insufficient".

"... it was primarily concerned with the process and did not address or acknowledge the impact on the schoolboy victims in the incident, as this was outside the scope of the review."

Pinky Green taught at Tauranga Boys' College for at least 28 years. The school is now taking legal advice, including the possibility of a police investigation into the scale of offending. Photo / NZME

Marshall claims Green, who was described in the review as "cane happy", took pleasure in caning students and he understands the teacher sometimes drew blood when caning boys.

Corporal punishment was legal in schools until 1990.

Iuli said that while these were historical allegations and none of the individuals concerned were still involved with the school, and in some cases had passed away, it was still important that the college addressed the issues and made a formal and public apology.

"On behalf of the Tauranga Boys' College Board ... I want to acknowledge and apologise for historical cases of sexual propositions to former students by a former staff member.

"While nothing we do as a school can erase history, we want to do what we can to help those still living and suffering from any long-term effects of past abuses."