A member of the public had approached the school’s deputy principal, saying they had seen a group of people laughing at a video on TikTok.
After viewing the video, the member of the public instantly recognised that it had been recorded at the school.
They also recognised Edmondson’s voice and clothing. Her genitalia were visible. In the video, she talked about having a full bladder and then recorded herself urinating on the floor of the classroom.
The username of the TikTok video was used on another website where users can post and view pornographic content. A user may receive payment for any video they post, provided the user appears in the video.
Another video found had been posted in 2022. The person recognised the cloakroom of the school in the video and Edmondson’s voice again.
In a third video, Edmondson, who was recognised by her voice, was recorded urinating on a hat in a lost property box. A child’s name was visible on the hat.
The deputy principal informed the principal and consulted the school’s IT provider, requesting that he search the sites on which the informant had seen the videos and save as much data as he could.
The IT provider found a pornographic website account which had more than 30 pornographic videos and several pornographic photographs on its home page. The account belonged to Edmondson.
The videos showed Edmondson urinating in various places, including in public settings, and sometimes masturbation.
Of the content posted, three of the videos were of particular interest, because they had school-related names. The names of the videos were suppressed.
Edmondson was then placed on paid leave.
While the IT consultant was saving relevant data, he could remotely see the respondent attempting to delete the content.
There was no evidence to suggest that Edmondson used a school-issued laptop to create, store or view the pornographic material that is the subject of the charge.
During Edmondson’s time at the school, there was an ongoing urine smell in some of the classrooms.
It was assumed at the time that rats and mice were the cause of the smell, so bait stations were set up, as well as traps during the school holidays, but there was no sign of rodents.
Cleaners did a deep clean of the classrooms during the Christmas holidays, and the smell was gone. However, the smell returned a year later in Term 1 when Edmondson had resumed teaching full-time at the school.
Edmondson was given notice of a formal investigation on May 15, 2023, and then resigned the same day that a mandatory report was submitted to the Teaching Council.
She then applied for another role at a school without disclosing her most recent previous employment or the investigation.
Edmondson told NZME she was suffering from “extreme anxiety” at the time the videos were filmed.
“I can’t explain why I did it, other than self-sabotage and treating myself badly for things that had happened,” she said.
“I regret my actions. I’ve lost a job I loved, I have lost the respect of my colleagues, I carried out actions that are beyond my beliefs and values. I have let down so many people.
“I can’t change what I have done, but can make sure it never happens again.”
The tribunal ruled Edmondson had committed serious misconduct by creating and posting pornographic material in a manner which impacted on her position as a teacher.
She also failed to make disclosures about her employment history when applying for a teaching role.
“Students are likely to have been adversely affected, given the evidence of an unpleasant smell that required deep cleaning,” deputy chair Catherine Garvey said.
“The use of property with a student’s name clearly visible was a deliberate and disrespectful act.
“Even if that student is unaware, the use of the school and identifiable student property to create pornography has the potential to cause distress or other negative feelings in students, staff, and the school community.”
In January 2024, Edmondson signed a voluntary undertaking not to teach. Her teaching registration was cancelled and she did not intend to return to teaching.
Brianna McIlraith is a Queenstown-based reporter for Open Justice covering courts in the lower South Island. She has been a journalist since 2018 and has had a strong interest in business and financial journalism.
