New Zealand teacher disguised vodka as ‘sugar-free Gatorade’ while supervising children

A childcare worker in New Zealand has narrowly avoided having her registration cancelled, but issued a formal censure, after drinking while on the job.

The unnamed teacher was charged with serious misconduct and brought before the Complaints Assessment Committee after she drank vodka from a Gatorade bottle while working at an early childhood centre in January 2022.

She had left the centre during her lunch break and purchased a bottle of Nitro Vodka & Guarana, a beverage with 7 per cent alcohol content, and poured it into the empty Gatorade bottle.

She then returned to work, where she was observed drinking from the bottle multiple times — including when she was supervising children playing outside with another teacher.

The woman told a fellow staff member the beverage was “a new sugar-free flavour” of Gatorade.

Staff observed she was “happier” and “chattier” than normal that afternoon, a summary of the committee’s judgement said.

After work, the woman drank more of the beverage in her car before returning for a staff meeting about 5.30pm.

She was unsteady on her feet at the meeting and her demeanour was described as “very over the top” from her normal self, staff members told the committee.

“She appeared to be uncharacteristically happy and greeted other teachers in an overly friendly manner,” committee documents said.

“During the staff meeting, she slurred her words and was unfocussed, disruptive, and confused. She was also fidgety and was swaying in her chair.”

The woman continued to sip alcohol from the Gatorade bottle throughout the meeting, until a witness realised she was intoxicated and tipped the contents down a drain and threw away the bottle.

‘Should have sought support’

In a meeting with management at the childcare centre several days later, the teacher said she was struggling that day and acknowledged she should have taken the day off.

It was the anniversary of her partner’s death, the New Zealand Herald reported.

The woman told management she had gone to her car during her lunch break, where she had broken down in an anxiety attack.

She tried to call her mother but was unable to reach her.

She said she hoped the alcohol would calm her and prevent another anxiety attack, and did not believe she was intoxicated during her teaching hours but acknowledged she was during the staff meeting.

The woman apologised to management for her behaviour and “accepted that she should have shared how she was feeling with the centre owner and her colleagues how she had been feeling, and that she should have sought support”.

She has introduced changes to her life since the incident, including weekly counselling sessions and with an alcohol and other drug counsellor, and was referred to Wahine Wai Ora, a group for women struggling with alcohol and drug addiction.

She has also begun taking Antabuse, which causes increased sensitivity to alcohol, to help manage her alcohol consumption.

‘Serious misconduct’

The court found there “can be no doubt that this meets all of the tests for serious misconduct”.

“The behaviour was likely to adversely affect students, reflects adversely on the respondent’s fitness, and brings the profession into disrepute.”

The woman was ordered to provide a copy of the court’s finding to any current and future employers, as well as the Manager of Professional Responsibility at the Teaching Council, and to provide six-monthly updates to the latter regarding her rehabilitation.

The court expressed concern that the woman had previously been before the committee for two instances of driving with excess breath alcohol, the last being just 18 months before the incident at the childcare centre.

While cancelling the woman’s registration was considered, the court decided to censure her for the conduct and impose a number of restrictions.

“Given that combination, as a starting point we would consider cancellation of registration is likely in these circumstances for this conduct.

“We also note the further information we have received, including confirmation from her doctor ... that she is not fit to work at present due to alcohol dependence and mental health issues including anxiety and depressive disorder.”

The woman was ordered to pay some of the tribunal costs, which were finalised as $1250.