Patrick Tokoroa Heke hit students on their heads, shoulders and arms with a stick or a guitar. Photo / 123rf
A teacher who regularly hit his students aged 7 and 8 with a stick and a guitar, including around the head, has been found guilty of serious misconduct and struck off.
Child witnesses have told a disciplinary tribunal that Patrick Tokoroa Heke used physical force against them daily.
“Mr Heke’s conduct demonstrates a concerning pattern of using violence to manage student behaviour, entirely contrary to modern pedagogical principles and professional expectations,” the Teachers Disciplinary Tribunal said in a decision made public today.
The incidents involving Heke’s Year 3 class happened at a school in Whangārei in 2021.
The name of the school has been suppressed to protect the identity of the students involved.
However, the tribunal declined to suppress Heke’s name.
“Teachers found guilty of serious misconduct involving violence against children should be publicly identified to protect the public and maintain confidence in the disciplinary process,” the tribunal said.
An investigation was launched by the Teaching Council’s complaints assessment committee (CAC) after the school’s acting principal reported Heke following a parent’s complaint.
The incidents happened between February and December 2021, including a specific day – December 2, 2021 – when Heke grabbed a student’s arm, pulled a toy car away from him and pushed him to the ground, injuring him.
After attending an initial meeting in April 2024, Heke did not engage in the disciplinary process and did not file any evidence in response to the serious misconduct charges against him.
He was advised to seek legal advice but chose to remain self-represented.
“While Mr Heke is disadvantaged by his absence, he chose not to engage despite multiple opportunities,” according to the decision released in the name of tribunal chairman James Gurnick.
The tribunal heard from six witnesses, including the boy who was pushed after putting a toy car in his pocket instead of a drawer, as Heke had told him to do.
Heke grabbed the boy, dug into his pocket to retrieve the car, then pushed him over, injuring his wrist.
The same boy also reported “ongoing” incidents when Heke would hit him with a stick on his arms, shoulders and head when he was “playing around”, and hit him on the head with a guitar when he was not listening.
The boy’s older brother witnessed the toy car incident and yelled at Heke, who replied that he “didn’t even push him that hard”.
The boys’ mother made a formal complaint and said her sons were reluctant to return to the school.
The following year, they were enrolled elsewhere.
A 7-year-old girl also described being hit on the head with a stick in front of the class during reading time.
She said “it only hurt a little bit” but she felt like she was about to cry.
The girl said the stick was thin and long, coming up to Heke’s hip.
She said Heke would hit his students on the head with the stick daily and “hit a lot of other people” without apparent reason.
Another child described being hit on the head with a tokotoko, or stick, and a guitar.
He said Heke would hit students when they were “being stupid and not listening”. The hits were “medium smacks” that felt sore and scared students.
Although Heke did not engage with the investigation, the tribunal said that, in a phone call, he described the process as “BS” and expressed frustration with it.
He said it had stripped his mana from him and destroyed his teaching career.
But the tribunal decision said the evidence clearly established that Heke’s conduct adversely affected the wellbeing of students.
One student suffered physical injury and emotional distress. The second felt like crying, and the third, and others, were scared, the decision said.
“Regular use of force created a threatening learning environment that would inevitably impact all students’ wellbeing and learning ...
“The sustained use of physical force against young children, particularly striking them on the head with implements, represents conduct of the utmost seriousness.
“No teacher who engaged in such conduct can be considered safe to remain in the classroom.”
The tribunal found a charge of serious misconduct proven, censured Heke and cancelled his practising certificate.
It also ordered him to pay $10,397 to the CAC, towards the costs of the investigation into his conduct.
Ric Stevens spent many years working for the former New Zealand Press Association news agency, including as a political reporter at Parliament, before holding senior positions at various daily newspapers. He joined NZME’s Open Justice team in 2022 and is based in Hawke’s Bay.