Subscriber Stories: Wellington nurse faces professional misconduct charges for speaking out online
A Wellington-region nurse with more than a decade of experience in New Zealand’s forensic and mental health services says she is being punished for expressing her personal views online. The nurse, who has asked not to be named, faces three charges of professional misconduct brought by the Nursing Council of New Zealand. She says the charges stem from her social media posts on topics ranging from COVID-19 policy to gender identity and government influence in health.
A nurse’s story
Originally from the UK, the nurse trained in Manchester and Salford as both an intellectual disabilities nurse and social worker before moving to New Zealand on an OE in her twenties. With 13 years’ experience working in a forensic secure inpatient unit, she says she had a spotless record until a workplace injury forced her to transfer into mental health crisis work.
“That was the first time I saw how vicious and vindictive the system could be,” she says. “When I could not return to my old role, managers threatened to terminate my employment. The unions did nothing. I kept my head down and carried on.”
It was not until the COVID-19 pandemic that her disillusionment with the system deepened. “I could not believe what I was seeing,” she says. “Patients with no capacity to consent were being forced to have the vaccine. It was shocking to see how tightly the government and the health service were intertwined.”
She also says she became increasingly concerned by what she describes as the embedding of Treaty of Waitangi principles in every policy and department.
Wanting to engage in public discussion, she joined X. Soon after, an anonymous complaint was lodged with the Nursing Council accusing her of being a COVID denier and an anti-vaxxer. The complaint also labelled her racist and transphobic based on her reposting of what were described as right-wing accounts and her comments about biological sex and late-term abortion.
“There were more than 12 complaints originally,” she explains. “Most could not be substantiated, but they decided to pursue three charges of professional misconduct anyway. I have no idea who made the complaint. Neither do the council. They even went into my X account using a staff member’s login to build a case against me.”
At a Professional Conduct Committee interview, she says she was told she was offensive, opinionated, and should not be allowed near patients. Among the posts cited as evidence were her criticisms of puberty blockers for children, concerns about a convicted child sex offender gaining access to minors, and her opinion on public figures in Māori leadership.
“Apparently that makes me racist,” she says. “It is ridiculous. None of my posts compromised patient safety. I have served this country’s health system for years.”
Despite the seriousness of the allegations, the council has not suspended her practising certificate. However, she says they are now moving toward punitive action that could leave her unemployed by January, when her hearing is due to take place.
“My X account was mysteriously suspended just two days before I received a letter from the council about suspension,” she says. “Te Whatu Ora are also preparing disciplinary action on the same grounds. If I get suspended, I cannot work and I would have no income at all.”
The nurse has backed up every claim and has sent me documentation, including the letters, evidence lists, and communication from the council.
“This is not about patient safety. It is about silencing anyone in health who questions the political direction of the system,” she says. “I am being punished for having an opinion.”
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