Bravo to St Bede's College Rector, Justin Boyle, for standing firm on the school's code of conduct. Breaching airport security, by illegally taking a ride on a luggage carousel into the secure area is no trifling matter.

The two roguish rowers who did so at Auckland Airport on Friday, should count themselves lucky that the police and Aviation Security let them off with a stern warning.

But as ambassadors of the school, competing in an elite sporting regatta, their feckless actions blatantly breached the school's code of conduct, which they and their parents willingly signed up to.

Sidelining these carousel clowns from the Maadi Cup was the only credible option for Justin Boyle. In his 13 years as rector of St Bede's his firm but fair leadership style has been his unwavering trademark.

Highly-respected for his zero-tolerance approach on bullying and drugs, Boyle has insisted that the school community plays by the rules, and those who fall foul of the rules face clear consequences.

His decision to axe the carousel riders from the school's Maadi Cup rowing team is entirely consistent with the school's values, and more-importantly, fully in accordance with the code of conduct.

After last year's shameful hijinks in Tekapo by a bunch of school rowers, it's all the more galling that rogue rowers have generated embarrassing newspaper headlines for St Bede's, again.

But if this was a script from the Dumb and Dumber playbook, it's the parents of the two banned rowers who I believe have really defied all bounds of common sense.

Tromping off to the High Court to seek an urgent injunction, in a bid to get their boys back in the row boats stinks to high heaven of elitist self-entitlement. Where's the dignity? The decency? The self-respect? Continue reading

• Mike Yardley is a former Newstalk ZB host, a regular Fairfax columnist and former St Bede's pupil.

The Sunday Star-Times bases its list on the schools attended by leading politicians, business leaders, government mandarins and the judiciary. 70 leaders were asked to provide information on their schooling.

St Bede's topped the list, helped by new parliamentary Speaker David Carter, one of five St Bede's old boys in Parliament.

Auckland Grammar was second and Christ's College, once a prolific producer of parliamentarians, judges and business leaders, was tied for third with Matamata College, Napier's William Colenso College and Palmerston North's Queen Elizabeth College.

St Bede's College rector Justin Boyle said it was his college's goal to produce leaders for society so topping the Star-Times' poll came as a pleasant surprise.

Boyle said St Bede's was part of a strong Marist network that involved students in leadership courses.

Source

• Stuff.co.nz
• Image: SMNZ.org.nz

The report said that among the actions the boys' names were now "registered with the Human Rights Commission".

The Commission was approached by a person to express his concern at the racial abuse. The Commission has responded to that person and worked with the school to resolve the issue. However the boys' names are not "registered" with the Human Rights Commission. The Commission does not hold registers of people's names.

Seven of the students were involved with inappropriate and racist comments on Facebook after St Bede's lost to Wesley College at the national secondary schools rugby tournament.

Rector Justin Boyle said "incredible damage" was done and the students now had their names registered with the Human Rights Commission.

They also knew any future employer would be able to Google their names and see what they had been up to on Facebook.