Wellington, April 3 NZPA - A Rotorua school principal has been acquitted of a charge of stealing from The Warehouse.

Hawea Vercoe, principal of Te Kura Kaupapa Maori o Rotoiti, appeared in Whakatane District Court yesterday facing a charge of stealing a pair of denim shorts, the Daily Post reported.

The court was told after four days' camping at Ohiwa, Mr Vercoe went to The Warehouse with four of his children and two nephews on December 31 last year.

Intending to take the children to the movies, Mr Vercoe went to buy some shorts to wear because the ones he was wearing were dirty .

He told the court he put the shorts on and walked to the counter still wearing them with his old pair of shorts, his wallet and the tags from the new pair in his hand ready to be scanned.

When he realised he had only $20 cash left and no eftpos card on him, he left the store to get his card from his truck, parked a few metres away.

Mr Vercoe was stopped by a security guard at his truck and was asked to go with him. Police were called.

He said he told security staff it was a "mistake" and he had planned to pay for the shorts.

Judge Christopher Harding yesterday dismissed the charge, saying Mr Vercoe had not intended to be dishonest.

Mr Vercoe is also the Environment Bay of Plenty's Okurei Maori seat councillor and member of Rotorua District Council's Te Arawa standing committee.