Student from top private school disciplined after ‘distressing’ altercation with Uber driver
Friday, 30 May 2025
A St Andrew’s College student has been disciplined after an altercation with an Uber driver.
A video of the incident shows the teenage boy trying to punch the driver before he falls out of a car.
The school’s rector said the incident had been distressing for everyone involved.
Disciplinary action has been taken against a student from a prestigious Christchurch boarding school after he was filmed trying to punch an Uber driver.
St Andrew’s College rector Mark Wilson confirmed the incident after a video circulated that showed the teenager in an altercation with the driver.
Wilson said the incident took place “a couple of weeks ago during a weekend when the student was on leave from the boarding house”.
Stuff has been told the video shows the boy getting into the front of an Uber, and three other teenagers getting into the back of the same vehicle.
The video is then said to show the boy appearing to shout and swear at the driver before one of the other teenagers attempts to silence him, by putting their hand across his mouth.
The boy is then said to be seen trying to punch the driver before falling out of the car onto the ground.
The school did not confirm if alcohol was involved and could not supply the age of the student due privacy concerns.
However, Wilson said the school has taken the incident seriously “and have addressed it directly with the student and their family”.
“The student’s involvement is not aligned with our school’s values and expectations, and appropriate disciplinary action has been taken in accordance with our policies.”
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Wilson acknowledged that the incident had been “a distressing experience for all involved”.
“We are committed to supporting learning and accountability through this process. We hope this incident serves as an important reminder of the responsibilities we all share in upholding respectful and appropriate behaviour in our community,” Wilson said.
Both the police and Uber were unable to confirm if the driver had made a complaint and the Ministry of Education said the school had not reported the incident.
The school has made the headlines recently for two high profile incidents.
In February, a student was suspended after an incident at a year 6 camp.
At the time Wilson said he understood a formal complaint had been made to police, but they were not investigating.
Last September, five students were stood down following a locker room brawl that was filmed and circulated widely. One parent said the video was “sickening” to watch.
St Andrew’s College takes year 1 to year 13 and costs between $20,000 and $29,000 a year to attend. It is considered one of the city’s top schools and consistently has close to 100% of students achieve NCEA Level 3.