Principal says yesterday's crash news involving his students was worst nightmare

The principal of a school where most of the injured youths were students said that yesterday had been his "worst nightmare".

Patrick Walsh, head of Rotorua's John Paul College, spent most of the day visiting those injured in the van accident and speaking to their families.

He said: "It was devastating to hear the news. It's a principal's and school's worst nightmare. Some of them have a long recovery ahead."

Walsh, who is also president of the New Zealand Secondary Schools' Principals Association, called on all young drivers to undergo defensive driving courses.

He said: "It does become a topic of conversation between local principals about how to ensure greater safety of students and how you can get the message across."

Teachers at John Paul College emphasised the importance of driver safety with their students, he said.

"We're constantly hammering home messages ... keeping to the speed limit and not drink-driving.

"Schools have a practice where they involve police to check warrants and registrations and if the student is on their restricted licence which deterred risky modifications and driving behaviour."

Walsh said there would be crisis management plans put in place at the school and students would be offered counselling. Getting the message across involves individual counselling sessions and using hard-hitting tactics like re-enacting car crashes outside schools and bringing in crash survivors to share their testimonies.

"It's something John Paul College will have to revisit."