A teacher has been found guilty of serious misconduct after she smacked her own child (aged 2) on the nappy when he was misbehaving and hitting others at an Early Childhood Centre, where she taught and her child was enrolled. She had recently moved to New Zealand  3 weeks before the incident and did not appreciate that she was not allowed to discipline her child in that way.

The Teachers Disciplinary Tribunal found that her ignorance of the law was no excuse but the circumstances meant that the conduct could be dealt with by having the teacher mentored for one year by a mentor approved by the Teaching Council.