Hastings bullying videotaped before mum steps in

St John's College has taken action after a bullying incident. Photo / Hawkes Bay Today

A mother who stopped a "cruel" videoed bullying session between a group of secondary school students in Hastings says the attack left her furious.

The woman, who did not wish to be identified, said she was left scared and shaken after witnessing about 15 St John's College students surround a fellow schoolmate, before one of them punched him to the head.

One of the group had filmed the incident on his cellphone, she said.

The woman sent a text to Hawke's Bay Today describing the students as "total idiots".

"Shame on you, your parents pay good money for you to attend a great school. Shame on you all for disgracing your school," she texted.

This morning she recounted the Monday incident across the road from the Jervois Food Centre dairy about 8.25am, after she stopped to buy cigarettes. "I saw this large group of Maori or Polynesian boys confront this one pakeha boy," the woman said. "One of the boys then punched him very hard in the head ... it was horrible, the pakeha boy's body language said it all, he was so outnumbered, it was so unfair."

Another of the group, all aged about 15, had videoed the incident on his cellphone, she said.

"I yelled at him that I would call the police if I ever caught him doing that again - it was disgusting to see. Bullying is bad enough, but to then have someone film it is despicable."

She said her intervention enabled the boy to run back onto college grounds. "I rang the school and they told me the boy was in their office very upset. I'm sick of this sort of behaviour."

Principal Neal Swindells said police had not been contacted. "There was an incident at the school and we have taken some disciplinary action," he said.

"Obviously, in a school like ours, we expect our boys to behave well in public. When they don't it is very disappointing."