A teacher erased a school’s student and teaching resources from its system after being fired for taking on a paid acting job while on sick leave from the school.

Natarsha Ikiua was recognised while working on an acting gig in Westport on the West Coast.

The fact that she wasn’t at work, but was well enough to act, made its way back to the principal of Westland High School, who confronted her about taking four days off.

Ikiua produced a medical certificate and said she was unwell, too, while on set.

She asked a woman running the acting job to corroborate her story, which included that the work was voluntary and any fee she earned would be paid to charity.

But the job, which saw her acting as a nurse on behalf of a primary health organisation for a training video for rural nurses, was actually paid.

At a Board of Trustees meeting later that month, Ikiua claimed again that the role was voluntary and she was helping out a friend.

She reiterated that she was sick and said she had remained seated during the work.

Ikiua told the board she was a “little confused” about why she was called to a meeting.

She repeated her explanation at another board meeting the following month.

A third meeting followed, and, at this one, the board terminated her employment.

According to a recent Teachers’ Disciplinary Tribunal decision, after that meeting, Ikiua “promptly” deleted four learning websites containing students’ learning resources and teaching materials.

The websites were the school’s intellectual property.

While they were recovered, at a cost to the school, students were unable to access the material when nearing their end-of-year assessments.

Following this incident, the school made a report to the Teachers Council, which then charged Ikiua with dishonest conduct before the Teachers’ Disciplinary Tribunal.

Now, following a hearing into her conduct late last year, the tribunal has censured Ikiua and cancelled her teaching registration.

No prohibition ‘per se’ on working elsewhere

According to the tribunal’s decision, Rebecca Scott, counsel for the Complaints Assessment Committee prosecuting Ikiua on behalf of the Teachers’ Council, submitted Ikiua’s behaviour was “deliberate, calculated and intended to deceive.”

“Deleting teaching and student resources was likely to adversely affect students, particularly when nearing end of year assessments, through lack of access to learning materials and by hindering the staff who took over,” she submitted.

Scott said Ikiua had multiple opportunities to be honest but instead repeatedly misled the principal and the board.

“Teachers are entitled to legitimate absences when sick so there is nothing inherently adverse about this, but the conduct showed a disregard for Ms Ikiua’s students and colleagues,” Scott said.

“On balance, we find she did not simply take advantage of being too unwell to be in a classroom to ‘help out a friend’ but instead used the excuse of being sick to take on the paid acting role.”

In response, Ikiua’s counsel maintained that the teacher was helping out a voluntary organisation, that she was, in fact, sick, as stated in her medical certificate, and there was “no prohibition per se” on her carrying out other activities while on sick leave.

It was also submitted that Ikiua was “unwell emotionally and felt unsupported by the school.”

In its findings, the tribunal said that none of Ikiua’s claims were supported by evidence.

“The company was not a voluntary organisation, and the summary of facts supports that Ms Ikiua could expect to be paid, whether or not she was. Donating her fee to charity was only raised after the fact,” the tribunal ruled.

The decision stated that Ikiua didn’t engage with the committee, and if she had, it might have led to a less serious outcome.

However, it ordered her teaching registration to be cancelled, despite Ikiua not having held one in New Zealand since 2023.

It is understood Ikiua was now a registered teacher in Australia.

Ikiua is the second education professional at Westland High School in recent years to have their registration cancelled.

Latham Martin, former Board of Trustees chair, was found to have sent inappropriate messages to multiple students.

The school was approached for comment.

Jeremy Wilkinson is an Open Justice reporter based in Manawatū, covering courts and justice issues with an interest in tribunals. He has been a journalist for nearly a decade and has worked for NZME since 2022.