KEY POINTS:
Kawerau's mayor is backing Kawerau College principal Steve Hocking, as historic allegations of drug use and inappropriate behaviour return to haunt him.
Mayor Malcolm Campbell told the Whakatane Beacon newspaper he wanted to focus on the good Mr Hocking had done for the eastern Bay of Plenty school.
Mr Hocking, credited with turning the school around in the past eight years, was awaiting a decision by the board of trustees on his future after the Herald on Sunday delved into his past.
It raised allegations he had smoked cannabis and had paid the family of a former student $1000 to ensure their silence over claims that he had propositioned their daughter.
The two incidents occurred six and 4-1/2 years ago respectively, he told the Beacon.
He did smoke cannabis at a "dark time" when he was working 80 hours a week and coping with the break-up of his marriage, he said.
He had admitted it to the board of trustees, and handed in his resignation, which the board refused to accept, amid promises that he would clean up his act.
As to allegations he paid a former student $1000 to keep quiet after propositioning her in the Kawerau Hotel four years ago, Mr Hocking said there was an "incident".
Newspaper reports were not accurate, but he was bound by a confidentiality clause.
Eastern Bay MP Todd McClay has called for an urgent inquiry.
The Educational Review Office (ERO) needed to establish the facts and make recommendations to the board of trustees and the Education Minister Anne Tolley, Mr McClay said.
Ms Tolley would not comment, as she did not get involved in employment issues.
Former trustees chairwoman Lynette Dolman stuck by Mr Hocking at the time of the incidents.
She said three ERO teams had visited in recent years and none were told "about Steve's antics because the school has functioned beautifully".
The Herald on Sunday said father of the student involved in the incident had met Dennis Finn, an investigator hired by Education Ministry consultant Lex Hamill.
Ms Dolman's successor, Sheneen Simpson-Almond, referred the newspaper to Mr Hamill, who would not confirm or deny an investigation was taking place.
The college was once so unpopular that five buses left for alternative schools every day, Ms Dolman told the Beacon.
Since Mr Hocking became principal in 2001, there had been more academic success and only one bus now headed out of town.
The board made the right decision to keep him on, she said.
She was angry the matter had surfaced over "a few people chirping".
The board did not sack Mr Hocking because his problems "happened out of school time".
"Yeah he might have smoked a joint, but did it affect the education of our students? No! Did it affect the education at this school? Diddly squat."
Mr Hocking said he had not touched drugs since.
He was not proud of the fact that he had "slipped up", and did not condone drug use, but he could understand why some students used it.
The Herald on Sunday quoted the girl's father as saying Mr Hocking had told his teenage daughter: "I want to take you home and f*** you."
Mr Hocking agreed to seek counselling. His daughter accepted the money and put it towards her studies, the father said.
The Beacon understood the girl's family had threatened to go to the news media.
On legal advice it was decided that, because of the confidentiality clause, it was in the best interests of the college to settle.
It was not an admission of guilt and Mr Hocking maintained he did nothing wrong.
- NZPA
