A Northland Maori immersion school principal who resigned after she ignored a report that her husband, also a teacher at the school, kissed a 15-year-old student, was later picked up for lucrative work at the Ministry of Education.
Deborah Mutu and her husband Hone have been deregistered for serious misconduct and ordered to pay $20,000 each in costs, the New Zealand Herald reports.
Ms Mutu resigned as principal at Te Kura Kaupapa Maori o Kaikohe in 2008 after her husband was suspended by the school's board of trustees the previous year.
The Teachers' Council, following a disciplinary hearing, in a decision released last week, said Mr Mutu favoured some students and would buy them presents, allow plagiarism and take them for rides in his car during school hours.
In 2004 he visited one 15-year-old student at her home, lay with her on a mattress and kissed her.
Ms Mutu was told about the incident and others involving her husband, but told the hearing that she did not believe her husband could behave that way. Ms Mutu ordered staff to tear up the written complaint of the 15-year-old.
Ms Mutu - since separated from her husband - was then employed in February by the Ministry of Education as one of 46 "experts" paid to advise principals.
A ministry spokesman told the Herald Ms Mutu was seconded from another organisation, but that was terminated when the ministry became aware of the disciplinary proceedings.
In October, Labour's education spokeswoman Sue Moroney questioned then education minister Anne Tolley about Ms Mutu's appointment in parliament.
But Ms Tolley dismissed the question as "muck-raking" and said Ms Mutu had never been suspended from her job. She had been seconded after the ministry had done "extensive research into the background of the over-500 applicants" for roles, Ms Tolley said at the time.
Newly appointed Education Minister Hekia Parata said the ministry had since put in place a rigorous process for secondments.
NZN