A Taranaki nurse has been deregistered for making racist comments against Maori on social media – and then walked out during a karakia to close proceedings against her.
On Wednesday, the second day of proceedings, the Health Practitioners Disciplinary Tribunal found two charges against Deborah Kathryn Hugill were established, amounting to professional misconduct.
The Professional Conduct Committee (PPC) said it appeared to be the first tribunal case involving a practitioner making inappropriate comments on social media.
Tribunal chair Maria Dew QC said the only appropriate penalty included cancelling Hugill’s registration.
“The practitioner failed to show a sustained and genuine understanding or remorse for her highly offensive and racist comments.”
Dew said the conduct fell well below the expected standard of any registered nurse or health professional.
The first of the charges related to comments Hugill made on a New Zealand Nursing Organisation (NZNO) public Facebook page in May 2019 when commenting on a news article about Maori voices missing from a mental health and addictions inquiry.
In the post Hugill said Maori nurses were lazy, cunning and underhanded, got unfair handouts and spent a lot of time eating and going to meetings.
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