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Christchurch youth Daniel Ziegler has owned up to writing derogatory remarks on national exam papers - and he says he'd do it again.
Mr Ziegler was a temporary worker at New Zealand Post responsible for ensuring exam paper numbers matched the names on the envelopes' address labels.
He was able to identify his former schoolmates and comments he penned included "good one dick!!", "you useless sack of poo" and "shame elf!!", the latter a derogatory nickname a girl's fellow students called her.
Mr Ziegler, a former Cashmere High School student, today told The Press he targeted his victims and would do it again.
"They need to take it easy. If they've got a problem, they can p... off," he said.
"It's called a joke - learn how to take one."
Mr Ziegler, 18, admitted writing on 15 papers.
"Yeah, I'd do it again," he said.
"It was a practical joke. I knew all of them and I didn't do it to any random people."
NZ Post spokesman Richard MacLean said the company had explored prosecution avenues but technicalities surrounding Mr Ziegler's role in handling the documents meant there were few options.
"We've looked at the legal aspects of it and have discussed it with police. On analysis there appears to be no crime committed," Mr MacLean said.
Postal Services chief executive Peter Fenton said the Mr Ziegler's short-term employment with the company finished last week, before the tampering came to light.
Mr Fenton said he was extremely disappointed about what happened and hoped to discuss the possibility of getting the culprit to apologise for what he did.
"This person has caused damage to the reputation of New Zealand Post and lowered our trustworthiness in the eyes of exam candidates and the public in general," he said.
- NZPA
