This summer we’re bringing back some of the best-read Premium articles of2024. Today we take a look at stories highlighting professionals who have fallen foul of industry standards.
While most doctors adhere to the strict rules of their profession, some fall foul of the standards expected of them. Herald illustration / Andrew Louis
We trust our doctors with our most personal health concerns and examinations.
While most adhere to the strict rules of their profession, some fall foul of the standards expected of them - and are brought before the tribunal.
If they are found guilty under the Health Practitioners Competence Assurance Act 2003, punishment can be handed down.
Penalties range from censure to suspension, conditions on their future practice, fines up to $30,000, tribunal costs - and the most severe of all: cancelling a practitioner’s registration.
In the past five years nearly all censured doctors were found to have committed professional misconduct and 11 had their registrations cancelled by the tribunal, meaning they cannot practise for a set period.
The Herald has summarised each penalty decision against doctors on the tribunal website since the start of 2019 - but nearly half have been granted name suppression, meaning the public and their patients may never know that their doctor has committed misconduct.
Nearly 40 doctors in five years have been censured for actions ranging from poor record keeping and prescribing – to sexual abuse. Katie Harris looks at what each doctor did and the penalties they received.
A struck-off lawyer cannot hold a practising certificate or practise law in New Zealand. Illustration / Andrew Louis
While lawyers are qualified to offer advice about the law and represent clients in legal matters, that doesn’t always mean they follow the rules themselves.
There are 15,640 lawyers with current practising certificates in New Zealand as of June 2023, all of them under the control of the New Zealand Law Society.
When a lawyer is found guilty by the Law Society of a disciplinary offence, the New Zealand Lawyers and Conveyancers Disciplinary Tribunal can order that they be struck from the Roll of Barristers and Solicitors of the High Court of New Zealand.
When struck off, a lawyer cannot hold a practising certificate or practise law in New Zealand.
Fourteen lawyers in New Zealand have been “struck off” from practising law since 2019. Here, we look at what each lawyer did wrong, and the penalties they received.
Dozens of educators have been brought before the New Zealand Teachers Disciplinary Tribunal in the last year. Illustration / Andrew Louis
More than 100,000 teachers are registered in Aotearoa to educate and care for our young and impressionable.
Almost all of them work diligently to uphold the values they signed up for when they became registered teachers.
Those who don’t meet the standard may be brought before the New Zealand Teachers Disciplinary Tribunal.
If the tribunal upholds a charge against a teacher, it can censure them, fine them, impose conditions on their practising certificates - and cancel their registrations.
Dozens of educators have been reprimanded by the Teachers Disciplinary Tribunal in the past year for conduct ranging from using excessive force on students to sexual harassment and assault.
Katie Harris takes a deeper look at 20 decisions from the past year, what each teacher did, and the penalty they received.
