Postie wins case in text row

Doug Behan-Kitto. Photo / Supplied

A postie sacked after allegedly texting a woman about tattooing a horse on his penis has won his job back.

NZ Post fired Doug Behan-Kitto of Rotorua after complaints from two women.

The Employment Relations Authority found the company's decision was not "based on a full and fair investigation" and ordered that Mr Behan-Kitto be reinstated and paid $2000 for emotional distress.

The complainants have name suppression. Ms A, a tattoo artist, said she gave Mr Behan-Kitto her phone number because he had friends interested in getting tattoos.

Ms A's sister, Ms C, told NZ Post about two text messages Mr Behan-Kitto sent to Ms A.

"I read the text, which said he wanted to get a tattoo of a horse like the National Bank on his penis and would [Ms A] do the tattoo?

"Before she had a chance to [reply] she got another one from him which said, 'Do you want a horsey ride'."

Authority member Robin Arthur said NZ Post's investigation did not show how Ms C knew the messages were from Mr Behan-Kitto. They had been deleted.

"I find a fair and reasonable employer could not, on the information available to Post and without further inquiry, have concluded that Mr Behan-Kitto did send the 'horsey texts'," Mr Arthur said.

The second complainant, Ms B, told NZ Post that Mr Behan-Kitto sent her a message on a dating website asking, "How was the mag???" after hand-delivering her post one day.

Mr Behan-Kitto produced transcripts from MSN and Facebook where Ms A reportedly told Mr Behan-Kitto: "I wanna know all about Doug. Dirty lil secrets n all webbed toes, third nipple u name it." Referring to a body piercing, she wrote she "wantd my girlie bit pierced".

Mr Arthur said the new information "casts a different light" on Mr Behan-Kitto's relationship with Ms A.

Despite the order for reinstatement, Mr Behan-Kitto is not back on his Rotorua postal route.

His lawyer, Paul Blair, said his client had come to a confidential settlement with NZ Post and would not be returning to his old job.