Commission's apology to wheelchair user after hotel botch-up
Friday, 11 May 2018
A wheelchair-using employee of the Human Rights Commission has received an apology after it failed to provide accessible accommodation during a work trip.
The employee was left flying on a separate plane, unable to use the bathroom in her assigned hotel and felt isolated while her colleagues participated in activities such as swimming, bush walks and yoga.
She now hopes her concerns will form part of the independent inquiry that the government ordered into the commission's processes and culture in February.
The inquiry came off the back of a Stuff investigation, which revealed a young American woman's internship at the commission was cut short after she was groped by the organisation's chief financial officer, Kyle Stutter, at a work party.
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The employee made a formal complaint to management over the incident last September. It happened at an 'off-site planning meeting' of the commission's advisory and research team, where staff stayed overnight at an Auckland venue.
A former staff member told Stuff the employee was booked into the accommodation despite outlining her accessibility needs in emails and meetings in the weeks prior.
After flying to Auckland on a separate plane from her team members, she found her accommodation was not accessible, and she could not use the bathroom. She spent the night alone in another hotel.
In response to questions about the incident, the commission's chief executive Cynthia Brophy said: 'a complaint was received from a team member about the facilities, and this was resolved internally'.
Brophy said before the trip; enquiries were made 'to ensure that the facilities and services were appropriate to the needs of all those attending'.
The team manager and team coordinator also visited the venue to confirm the arrangements and suitability of the facility.
'On arriving on 28 September, it was found that contrary to earlier assurances the facilities were not appropriate for all team members at the time of the visit. Alternative arrangements were made, and the matter was followed up subsequently with the venue providers,' said Brophy.
There were meetings with the employee, apologies were given and 'plans were put in place to avoid a recurrence of the same problem in future,' Brophy said.
The employee has since resigned.
Justice Minister Andrew Little initially said the review by retired Employment Court judge Coral Shaw would be completed by the end of April. Shaw has since been given a two-week extension.