"We have been notified by the school that three students were expelled for physical assault," said Katrina Casey from the Ministry of Education.
Casey said expulsion differed from exclusion in that expelled students were over 16.
If a child was excluded the school was required to help find another school for the student.
The school, which the Weekend Herald has decided not to name to protect the boy who was assaulted, confirmed the expulsions last night.
In a statement, it said the family of the injured boy would not be making a formal complaint. It said the student was a friend of three who had been expelled.
"Our priority, first and foremost, is the wellbeing of our students and their families. The college sets high standards and strives to develop successful, well-grounded students," said the board chair's statement.
"This incident is distressing and disappointing, but it is important to respect the privacy of the students involved. We will not be making any further comment."
A police spokeswoman said they had not received a complaint in relation to the assault which happened at a hotel the team was staying at.
"However, as always, the we encourage anyone who may have been the victim of a crime to speak to their local police," the spokeswoman said.
Parents spoken to by the Weekend Herald this week were relieved to hear the school had expelled the boys.
But they were disappointed with the way the school handled the incident and the way it had "shut down" about the assault.
"This assault happened when the boy was in school care. What assurance can the school give us that this sort of thing won't happen again when they haven't been upfront about it," one parent said.
"We need to know our children are safe when they are away from home with the school."
The students in the sports team ranged from 16 to 18, and one team member was a school prefect.
When the team returned to Auckland in the second week of the holidays the boys and their parents were called into an urgent meeting at the school.
At the time the school principal said the school's process was robust and consistent.
"We stand by the values of our college and if anyone transgresses those it is completely unacceptable," he told the Herald.
A man at the tournament, who wished to remain anonymous, said the "hazing incident was disgusting".
He said that at the beginning of the competition it was made clear that unacceptable behaviour could result in being pulled from the team. Despite that, the three boys allegedly responsible were still free to play in the knockout stage of the event.
