STUFF Sep 06 2023
An experienced employment lawyer is calling for a Government inquiry into drink spiking in the wake of publicity about two employees being suspected victims of drink spiking at KPMG events and the prolific offending of those involved in the Mama Hooch case in Christchurch.
Tauranga based senior solicitor Bev Edwards says an inquiry is “long overdue”, and says the problem of drink spiking in New Zealand is now a probability rather than a possibility.
Edwards said an inquiry would help employers, licensees and employees navigate social events.
Her comments follow a leaked email that revealed two people at one of New Zealand’s largest accounting firms, KPMG, were suspected to have been victims of drink-spiking at separate work drinks in Auckland.
Executive chairperson Matt Pritchard told Stuff on Tuesday he thought the measures and precautions KPMG had put in place after the August incident would be effective.
“Unfortunately that wasn’t enough,” Pritchard said.
The person or persons responsible have not been identified, Pritchard said, and there was now an internal investigation with the priority being the victims and “finding the grubby little coward who has done this”.
Edwards expressed frustration that the New Zealand government had not yet conducted an inquiry into drug spiking, despite it now being “a probability” rather than a possibility.
She cited a 2004 Australian report, and said it is the only Australasian report to look at drink-spiking in depth, and how it can be mitigated by public campaigns.
Edwards noted from the report that only one in six Australian cases of suspected drug spiking were reported to the police. She believes New Zealand’s cases are also massively under-reported.
Edwards also believes KPMGs problems will have repercussive impacts on New Zealand businesses, particularly as in the lead up to the festive season.
She says KPMG did what was expected of them. They hired security, and told staff they could only have one drink at a time, but she said they could still be in trouble if it was deemed they didn’t do everything possible to enable a safe workplace.
“I think they did everything a reasonable employer could do, but the breakdown was when the drinks were taken from the bar, and they were consumed elsewhere.”
She believes more could be done, especially in raising awareness in employees, employers and venues where events are being held and alcohol is available.
Spiking of drinks has been at the front of New Zealand media after the conclusion of a two-month trial earlier this year, the Jaz brothers were each convicted of dozens of crimes, including rape, sexual violation, sexual assaults, and various druggings.
Danny Jaz, 40, a father of two, attacked 15 women, many of whom he followed into the toilets at Mama Hooch, in Christhchurch, late at night, where he forced himself upon them. Roberto, 38, sexually assaulted five women – filming one of them while he raped her at VenutiRoberto.
Roberto Jaz was sentenced to 17 years’ imprisonment.He sentenced brother Danny Jaz to 16-and-a-half years imprisonment.
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