A disgruntled employee sabotaged a commemorative booklet for his boss' teenage daughter, drawing a lewd image on her photo that was then printed and distributed to her school friends.

Emily O'Halloran, 18, is captain of the rowing team at wealthy private Diocesan School for Girls.

With the rowing season just finished, she planned a 40 page booklet for her team-mates to celebrate her final year at the Auckland school.

The school's ''purpose statement'' is to: Be more than you ever imagined!

She unfortunately got much more than she imagined.

Emily's father Martin O'Halloran, chairman of influential advertising group agency DDB, volunteered to organise design and printing through his business.

But a staff member involved had a dispute with O'Halloran midway through the project and drew a large, comical male genitalia on a photo of Emily posing with team-mates.

The drawing went unnoticed and the booklet was printed.

''It was a silly and stupid prank by someone who is no longer with DDB,'' O'Halloran said.

''I don't want to make any more comment relating to that because it is an employment issue.''

Forty copies of the booklet were handed out at a function to the rowing team students and parents. The defaced image was soon discovered by one of the girls.

O'Halloran said Emily was embarrassed.

''She gave it as a gift to all the girls to remember the rowing session so it was a special book she had prepared for them. She had created the content for it.

''It was disappointing, but you know what young girls are like, they sort of laugh at it and move on.''

O'Halloran said a swift apology smoothed the waters and the school and parents were understanding.

''I sent an apology to everyone who received the book and we are getting those books returned and reprinted,'' O'Halloran said.

O'Halloran is on the Diocesan Board of Governors and has two daughters at the school.

Chair of the board, Andrew Peterson, partner at prestigious law firm Russell McVeagh referred all comment to school principal Heather McRae, who did not return calls.

Diocesan school, which has 1400 student from age four to 18 was founded in 1903 and is based on the Anglican faith.