Restrictions OK
Jurisdiction Employment Relations Authority - Auckland
Reference No AA 254/03
Determination date 21 August 2003
Member J Wilson
Representation G Pratt ; P Tremewan
Location Auckland
Parties Simms v Santos Mount Eden Ltd
Summary PRACTICE AND PROCEDURE - Admissibility of evidence - Tape recordings of meeting and phone conversation with respondent's owner - Recorded conversations without owner's knowledge - Circumstances in which recordings made - Talbot (cited below) considered - Effect of Employment Relations Act 2000 considered - Talbot case prevailed until rules of secret recordings clearly defined by Court under ERA - No breach of Privacy Act 1993 - Fairness central to issue of admissibility - Manager did not expect conversations to be recorded and used later - To deny evidence supporting applicant's version of conversations unfair - Fairness best served by admitting tapes - Head chef
Result Application granted ; Orders accordingly ; Costs reserved
Statutes ERA s4(1);ERA s160(2);Privacy Act 1993
Cases Cited Coutts Cars Ltd v Baguley [2001] ERNZ 660;Harder v Proceedings Commissioner [2000] 3 NZLR 80;Talbot and Ors v Air New Zealand Ltd [1995] 2 ERNZ 356
Number of Pages 6
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