Theresa Coldstream said she's distanced herself from people who go to pubs where the pokies are. File photo / Greg Bowker
Theresa Coldstream said she's distanced herself from people who go to pubs where the pokies are. File photo / Greg Bowker
An early childcare teacher who stole nearly $5000 from the centre she worked at to feed her gambling addiction will be allowed to continue teaching.
Theresa Coldstream has been censured by the Teaching Council Disciplinary Tribunal for the thefts, which were discovered in April last year.
She was working ina manager role at the centre in the Manawatu-Whanganui region when she began taking money in September 2017, a summary of facts said.
She has admitted to keeping all of the cash received by the centre between September and April, totalling $4735.
The offending came to light when another staff member at the centre called the area manager and said she believed Coldstream had taken some money left in an envelope by parents for purchasing books.
The area manager held three meetings with Coldstream that day, who twice denied the thefts before finally confessing in the third meeting.
At first she made excuses, saying taking the money was an "honest mistake", and that she had shut the money into her laptop for safekeeping and taken it home accidentally and forgotten about it.
She also denied stealing $200 in students' fees, saying the money had actually been banked three weeks earlier.
Coldstream admitted taking all the cash that came into the centre between September 2017 and April 2018. File photo / Kenny Rodger
When Coldstream eventually owned up to the offending, she told her manager she had a gambling addiction and was disappointed in herself and needed help.
She told them she justified her actions by telling herself she was not ripping off families, but that she was only ripping off the centre.
She explained how she had receipted the money brought in by parents and scanned it to centre accounts to enter as a received payment so the accounts were not in arrears.
Coldstream was dismissed from the centre after an investigation. She has fully repaid the stolen amount.
At the tribunal hearing yesterday she acknowledged how she lied at first about the thefts.
"For that I'm forever sorry, because it was right there and then a year ago a flight or fight mode," she said.
"I was in the throes of a gambling addiction ... It doesn't excuse what I did. It was extremely wrong."
Coldstream said she owned the offending and did not dispute it.
"I'm in a better place now, I'm not gambling. I haven't in over a year."
Coldstream was able to return to work at another centre she had previously worked on and off at for years, and was supported by her current employer.
"It was great to be back and just be with little people, because I'm good at that," she said.
"Being a teacher is what I aspired to when I was younger, and I still aspire to now."
Since being caught, Coldstream has taken steps to prevent a return to gambling, including cancelling her credit cards so she could not gamble online, which was the main area of concern for her.
Theresa Coldstream said she's distanced herself from people who go to pubs where the pokies are. File photo / Greg Bowker
She attended counselling though was not currently doing so, distanced herself from people she knew often went to the pub, and changed her habits at home so she had less opportunities to go online and gamble.
Coldstream has also had to block numbers in her phone to prevent the gambling companies sending her text messages to entice her back online. She said if a manila envelope arrived in the mail she knew it was from them, and would throw it out without opening it.
She regularly talks to friends and family and has strong whānau support. She is no longer in a role at work where she has access to money.
Lawyer for the Complaints Assessment Committee (CAC) Elena Mok said Coldstream's offending was "prolonged dishonesty over a number of months" and was a "significant breach of trust".
However she did not believe Coldstream should have to stop teaching, and said there was no issue with her conduct with the children.
Tribunal chairwoman Rachel Mullins said Coldstream had reflected on her conduct and taken steps to change her behaviour.
The tribunal censured Coldstream and ordered an annotation on the register. She must inform employers of the tribunal's decision for the next three years, and over that time period will not be allowed to take roles handling money or managing finances.
She must also undertake 18 months of counselling and pay 40 per cent of the CAC's costs.
