Principal who failed to act on paedophile teacher James Parker to pay $14,000 costs

James Parker is sentenced last year for child abuse. Photo / New Zealand Herald

The former principal who failed to monitor paedophile teacher James Parker has been ordered to pay more then $14,000 in costs by the New Zealand Teachers Disciplinary Tribunal.

Former Pamapuria School principal Stephen Hovell was censured by the tribunal for not to setting up a process to monitor Parker, after police warned him the teacher was inappropriately having young pupils to stay overnight at his house.

Parker was sentenced in the High Court in August last year to preventive detention after admitting 74 sex charges relating to sleepovers with boys at his Awanui farm between 1999 and 2012.

Mr Hovell was dismissed in February last year after an investigation found he did not take appropriate action when concerns were first raised about Parker, his deputy principal.

Mr Hovell was censured earlier this year after the NZ Teachers Council's Complaints Assessment Committee brought charges against him.

In a recently released tribunal ruling, the committee's lawyer, Gaelene Phipps, said the investigation into Mr Hovell cost the committee $35,077.48.

She said the committee was entitled to costs because it had proved its allegation of serious misconduct by Mr Hovell.

Mr Hovell's lawyer Bryce Quarrie said the tribunal had directed that any costs application should be made within 15 working days and the committee had made its application out of time.

However, the tribunal chairman said he would allow an extension on that time limit.

He ordered Mr Hovell to pay 40 per cent of the investigation cost of $14,030.99.