Toi Ohomai Institute of Technology did not know three students had travelled from Auckland to Tauranga to attend classes but would have "emphatically instructed" them to stay put if it had, the chief executive says.
Leon Fourie, the chief executive of the tertiary provider, said the students were stood down from class and told to self-isolate for 14 days after attending four quantity surveying classes last week at the Windermere campus in Tauranga.
Fourie confirmed the students were at the Tauranga campus for three days during that time and the institute was "not aware" they had travelled from Auckland.
"We would have emphatically instructed them to stay in Auckland. We would have stated that they cannot travel across the border to attend class due to the current alert level status in Auckland."