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A male teacher has been banned from teaching after he asked a female trainee if he could spank her with a school paddle - Representational Image Rui Vieira/ PA

A male teacher in New Zealand, who described himself as a sex addict, has been banned from teaching after he asked a female trainee if he could spank her bottom with a school paddle.

The man, who is in his late forties, is accused of using a Massey University letterhead detailing a fictitious study on corporal punishment for adults, Stuff website reported.

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In June 2016, he allegedly told the female trainee that the two required to give each other "four hard swats on the bottom using a school paddle" as part of the fictitious study and even asked her to sign a confidentiality agreement, a New Zealand Teachers Disciplinary Tribunal decision, which released on Thursday (1 February) said.

The tribunal, which has not revealed the name of the school or teacher, has condemned his actions and cancelled his teaching registration, the New Zealand Herald reported.

The teacher has confessed that he fantasised about such activities as it was a "stress/anxiety reliever".

The Nelson District Court has also convicted the teacher of forging two letters on a university's letterhead, Stuff website reported.

According to court documents, the teacher had been assisting the female trainee with her training for about three months in 2016, the website reported. The incident came to light when the trainee started getting "extremely uncomfortable" with the corporal punishment study and approached the school principal. The principal later confronted the teacher and reported the incident to the police.

During a school disciplinary process, "the respondent apologised to the victim and acknowledged his actions were 'nothing short of dishonest and self-serving'," the tribunal said.

The teacher has pleaded guilty and was sentenced to pay an emotional harm reparation of $2,500 (£1764.15) to the victim, the website reported.

According to the Teachers Disciplinary Tribunal, the teacher's behaviour amounted to serious misconduct.

"This type of behaviour is the antithesis of the standard of honesty of honesty expected of teachers," the tribunal said.