Jennifer Scott’s case at the Health Practitioners Disciplinary Tribunal this week was held in her absence, as she chose not to attend, and after two days of evidence she was found to have committed professional misconduct through six charges brought by the Nursing Council of New Zealand.
They comprised "deeply concerning" behaviour in 2021 and 2022, which included circulating disinformation about the Covid-19 vaccine and launching an "orchestrated campaign" against the transgender community.
The former mental-health nurse, who was suspended from practice in September 2022, must have her registration cancelled, a professional conduct committee argued.
Co-counsel Charlotte Taylor said Ms Scott should be censured to "mark the disapproval of the tribunal" and should be barred from applying for re-registration for two years.
Her fellow counsel Matthew McClelland KC said suspension of Ms Scott’s practicing certificate was simply insufficient.
"Ms Scott poses a real risk to the transgender population and if she were to return to mental-health nursing that risk would effectively continue without any real control", he said.
"Her agenda is to discredit totally transgender, non-binary and the rainbow community, and she does it in a scaremongering, emotive and alarmist way ... She’s putting forward a very bigoted, radical, extreme view."
The tribunal heard Ms Scott shared unsubstantiated anti-vaccine posts on social media during the Covid-19 national emergency and was directly critical of the Nursing Council.
But it was in July 2022 when her fringe views became more widely known, during a public submission to the Dunedin City Council regarding her concerns around transgender women using female changing facilities.
Referring to herself as a "registered nurse" sparked a flurry of complaints to the professional body and several of those outraged parties gave evidence at this week’s hearing.
One nurse, who had name suppression, said many in the trans community had negative experiences with the health system and hearing Ms Scott’s submission risked further marginalising them.
An advocate for Dunedin’s queer community, who also made a complaint to the Nursing Council, said there was an ongoing campaign of hatred.
"What’s so insidious and awful for us in New Zealand, and as I observed in Dunedin, we have agents who are instigating [anti-trans sentiment] in our city, Jennifer Scott being the primary one.
Things have really turned for the worst and as an advocate I feel very concerned for the physical safety, the mental wellbeing of trans and non-binary people as this movement grows, and I firmly believe that people like Jennifer Scott make it so much worse", he said.
Tribunal chairman Theo Baker said the misconduct allegations against Ms Scott was made out.
"Overall, the tribunal found the conduct brings, or is likely to bring, discredit to the profession, and is sufficiently serious to warrant a disciplinary sanction."
The tribunal would decide what that penalty would be within a week.
Ms Scott was contacted for comment.
rob.kidd@odt.co.nz , Court reporter
