A school in New Zealand gave out condoms to students attending a ball 'to help them make better choices' but the move has shocked an advocacy group.

The principal of the Te Puke High School in Te Puke, 180 km from Auckland, defended the school management's decision, saying they intended to help students make better choices when they attended the ball last week, the Herald Sun reported.

But an advocacy group said it was shocked on hearing the news.

'The underlying message to students is that the ball is not about a fun social occasion with their peers, but about an expected opportunity to have sex. That is a foolish and dangerous message to be sending,' Bob McCoskrie, director of New Zealand Family First, an advocacy group.

The school undermined the role of parental supervision by giving away condoms without parental notification or permission, McCoskrie said.

Liddle, however, said the condoms had nothing to do with the promotion of sex.

The package was put together by a student-driven health committee and contained several items to promote students' safety, he said.

'If we're talking about teenage pregnancies being a major problem in today's society, I actually think that the kids have thought responsibly about this. They weren't promoting anything,' he said.