A nurse who lied about her son's health to get sick leave has been struck off the nurses' register for gross misconduct.
Therese Josephine Leach, from Te Awamutu, was employed by Waikato District Health Board when she was granted more than two weeks off in 2009.
The Health Practitioners Disciplinary Tribunal says Ms Leach falsely said her son was a patient at Auckland's Starship Hospital, and needed surgery for cancer.
She asked for time off, and falsified a letter by a doctor at Starship about the boy's treatment.
The tribunal says she clearly cannot be trusted and the only appropriate penalty is to cancel her registration as a nurse.
