A teacher has admitted filming in a Mount Maunganui early childhood centre bathroom but has kept his name secret for now.
The 53-year-old man appeared in Tauranga District Court today where he pleaded guilty to a total of 22 charges of intentionally making intimate visual recordings of other people.
The maximum penalty he faces is three years in prison.
The man appeared before District Court Judge William Lawson, who granted continued interim name suppression until his sentencing in March.
The charges relate to offending on a range of dates, the earliest being "on or before June 19, 2025", while the most recent was in June of this year.
Police earlier confirmed a recording device was located in the staff bathroom at an early childcare education facility on June 30.
"No children have been identified in any of the recordings," Detective Senior Sergeant Natalie Flowerdew-Brown said at the time.
A spokesperson for the kindergarten today told 1News the “safety and trust of our tamariki, whānau and staff is our highest priority”.
“The offending represented a significant betrayal of the trust and privacy of the victims and also of those in the community,” they said in a statement.
“It has been highly distressing for many people and the impacts are continuing to be felt as the matter progresses before the court.”
Family of children at the kindergarten were emailed by the principal in July, explaining that the full-time teacher - who at the time did not have name suppression - had been arrested by police.
“I can advise that all appropriate safety checking, including regular police vetting of [the teacher] was undertaken,” the letter read, as seen by 1News.
The man’s employment was terminated shortly after he was arrested and charged.
He will appear back in Tauranga District Court on March 25 for sentencing.
SHARE ME