The Ministry of Education contracted and paid a school principal after he had resigned and been struck off for sleeping naked with a student.



Uenuku Fairhall was paid half a million dollars by the Ministry of Education. After Newshub made queries, the Ministry's Secretary of Education, Iona Holsted, has now apologised to the Education Minister and the children involved.

But she has stopped short of resigning.

Fairhall was a celebrated school principal with thirty years' teaching experience. But on a school trip to Mexico, he slept naked with a student at least twice, and told another to remove his underwear while washing him.

His behaviour has been described as "despicable" and "disgraceful" by the Teaching Council.

"These were very serious allegations," Education Minister Chris Hipkins told Newshub. "That person should not have been contracted by the Ministry of Education."

But Fairhall was and the Ministry of Education paid him half a million dollars to make learning resources, after the allegations were made.