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HDC ruling: Woman suffered burns after wrong laser hair removal settings used

Published

7 months ago

April 21, 2026

A woman suffered burns to her legs during a painful laser hair removal treatment by an inexperienced beautician.

She was still suffering when she got home from the appointment and around half an hour afterwards, her partner called the clinic saying he was concerned about her legs.

He was told by the clinic to apply ice, send photographs and for them to return to the clinic as soon as possible.

Upon arrival, it was clear that she had suffered burns and steps were then taken to understand what had happened.

Now, the Heath and Disability Commissioner (HDC) has found that the clinician who treated the woman mistakenly set the laser machine to the wrong skin type.

According to a decision released today, the clinician had become qualified as a level five beauty therapist six months earlier and had become qualified in laser hair removal only three weeks before the incident.

The decision described how the woman attended the appointment in June 2021 for laser hair removal, which she had received on several occasions over the previous two years.

She told the HDC that before commencing the treatment, the clinician didn’t check the laser settings.

The clinician said she undertook her usual preparation, which included checking that the woman had provided informed consent, noting the treatment number, taking notes of previous treatment plans, analysing hair growth, reviewing the notes on initial consultation and updating photos of the treated area, according to the findings.

Based on that information, she developed a treatment plan and adjusted the settings in accordance with the thickness of hair, skin type, and genetic background and completed a double check to make sure the settings were correct, she said.

She told the HDC she performed a test patch prior to completing the full treatment, in line with the clinic’s protocol.

But the woman disputed that had been done and clinic’s records didn’t mention whether a test patch was undertaken in the prescribed form.

It was noted that there was no requirement on the progress notes form to record whether a test patch was completed and, if so, the results.

The woman claimed she told the clinician to stop the treatment because of the pain, but the treatment continued.

She told the HDC that because she was wearing goggles and was lying face down for half of the session, she couldn’t see and was afraid to move and have the laser burn her.

The clinician told the HDC the woman didn’t ask her to stop the treatment, and that had she been asked, she would have stopped immediately.

She recalled the woman being “fidgety” which prompted her to stop several times to ask if she was okay to continue.

She said the woman told her the pain “was fine”, she “was okay”, and that “she could handle it” as the treatment continued.

Following the treatment, the woman’s legs were swollen, and when she asked the clinician whether that was “normal”, she was told “yes”.

The clinician applied recovery cream and sun protection factor, and went over post-care information with the woman.

The clinician and the clinic told the HDC it was not uncommon for skin to swell and for some irritation to occur post-treatment, and that the clinician initially thought the swelling was a normal reaction to inflammation of the hair follicles.

Before leaving the clinic, the woman booked her next appointment.

When the woman returned to the clinic after her partner’s distress call, various products were provided to help address the burn injuries.

The clinic told the HDC it advised her to visit accident and emergency, but the woman said she was not given that advice.

The decision states that on reviewing the clinician’s notes the clinic discovered that she had mistakenly set the laser machine to the wrong skin type.

The clinic said it apologised and said that any costs incurred for medical care would be reimbursed.

The woman told the HDC that medical costs were covered for the first one or two weeks after the incident, but stopped after that point.

The HDC sought independent advice and it was identified that there were multiple departures from the accepted standard of care.

The laser burns were identified as a “severe” departure from the expected standard of care.

Based on conflicting evidence the HDC found it was more likely than not that a test patch didn’t occur and the level of pain reported during the procedure should have prompted the clinician to stop and reassess the situation.

The HDC found the appearance of the skin post-treatment was not “normal” and accepted an adviser’s opinion that the appearance of the burns was not consistent with inflamed hair follicles.

It was found that the clinician lacked experience and knowledge to fully appreciate that, at the time, the woman was suffering injury from the laser.

The HDC found there was concern about the time it took the franchise head office to make contact with the woman directly, the lack of support provided to the clinic, and the six-month delay in providing a formal apology for the incident.

“There appears to have been no real focus on the outcome sustained, which was not only physical damage to her skin, but also emotional distress, financial loss, and a significant impact on her career timeline,” the findings said.

The clinic’s head office told the HDC it had taken the comments and lessons from the incident very seriously.

It said it had been working with franchisees to make several changes to policies and procedures.

The clinic told the HDC it had adopted protocols for laser hair removal and management of skin post-laser treatment, regular reviews of notes and laser settings, and training on codes of rights.

The clinician told the HDC she had undertaken further training and now double-checks the laser settings while doing laser refresher training every six months.

The HDC recommended that the clinician be audited by the clinic to check laser accuracy from 20 assessments, which would then be provided to the HDC within three months of the findings.

She was also told to provide evidence that refresher training on laser assessments had been completed and apologise to the woman.

In a provisional report from the HDC, the clinic had been told to adopt changes which had since been accepted.

Figures supplied to NZME by ACC show there were 19 claims for injuries related to laser beauty treatments in 2025. That was the same amount as 2024 and up from 15 in 2023.

This story originally appeared in the New Zealand Herald.

RNZ

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Police say person who fired gun at officers still at large

Published

3 days ago

November 12, 2026

News Staff

Police say a person who fired a gun at officers in Napier is still at large.

Eastern District Commander Superintendent Joel Lamb said Police tried to stop a vehicle in the Pirimai Area at about 10pm on Tuesday.

He said someone in the back seat pointed what was presumed to be a firearm at officers pursuing the vehicle.

“Staff have then heard two distinct gunshots as the firearm was discharged.

“Fortunately, neither of our officers were injured, and the patrol vehicle did not sustain any damage.”

He said hours later, the vehicle was seen travelling north on the Waikato Expressway towards Auckland.

Police seized the vehicle at an address in Manurewa, but they had not found the alleged offender.

Lamb said people who lived at the Manurewa address were engaging with Police.

He said Eastern District and Counties Manukau Police were making enquiries.

“Presenting a firearm at a Police officer is a serious escalation that puts our staff and the wider community at risk. This behaviour is entirely unacceptable.

“We are taking this incident extremely seriously and will be pursuing all lines of enquiry to locate the offender and hold them accountable.”

Police asked anyone who witnessed the incident to contact Police on 105 or online using the reference number 261111/3764.

Information could also be provided anonymously via Crime Stoppers on 0800 555 111.

rnz

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New Zealand sides named for RLWC finals

Published

4 days ago

November 11, 2026

News Staff

The players tasked with ending Australia’s Rugby League World Cup dominance have been named.

The Kiwis and Kiwi Ferns have announced their squads for this Sunday’s World Cup finals in Brisbane.

Both sides are chasing their first titles since 2008, and both are looking to end their opponents run of three crowns in a row.

“Our Kiwi Ferns have been so dominant in years gone by, and we want to bring dominance back to this jersey, so I think it will be a case of who wants it more,” said co-captain Georgia Hale of the impending clash.

The Kiwis get a major boost for the final as they welcome back Ronaldo Mulitalo after he served a one-match ban for a high tackle against Fiji Bati.

Mulitalo replaces Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad, who moves to the six-man bench, which again includes utility Te Maire Martin, middle forwards Naufahu Whyte, Erin Clark and Xavier Willison plus fullback Keano Kini.

Loose forward Joseph Tapine will make his 30th Test appearance in a familiar pack again, including second-rowers Isaiah Papali’i and Briton Nikora, and props James Fisher-Harris and Moses Leota.

Winger Jamayne Isaako is on the cusp of claiming the New Zealand record for most Test points.

His five goals against Tonga lifted his career points tally to 225 – level with Shaun Johnson – while centre Casey McLean goes into the final with 16 tries in just eight Tests.

Fisher-Harris will again captain the team.

Fullback Ponga said the goal of the group was clear.

“We have high expectations around what we want to achieve, and obviously winning a world Cup is one of them.”

Meanwhile, Ricky Henry has selected a settled side to take on the Jillaroos, led by their lethal centre combination of Stacey Waaka and Mele Hufanga.

Veteran Apii Nicholls takes the number one jersey, Leianne Tufuga and Mackenzie Wiki on the wings.

Henry has stuck with his halves pairing of Chantay Kiria-Ratu and Raecene McGregor with Alexis Tauaneai, Georgia Hale and Otesa Pule up front.

Rounding out the starting pack is Shaniece Monschau, Kaiyah Atai, and Angelina Teakaraanga-Katoa.

“We have been building well throughout the tournament; we understand the Jillaroos side, and will give it our all to make New Zealand proud this weekend,” said Henry.

RLWC Finals:

Kiwi Ferns vs Jillaroos- 6.10pm

Kiwis vs Kangaroos – 9.35pm

Sunday November 15

Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane

Live blog updates on RNZ

Kiwi Ferns:

1. Apii Nicholls 2. Leianne Tufuga 3. Mele Hufanga 4. Stacey Waaka 5. Mackenzie Wiki 6. Chantay Kiria-Ratu 7. Raecene McGregor 8. Alexis Tauaneai 9. Georgia Hale 10. Otesa Pule 11. Shaniece Monschau 12. Kaiyah Atai 13. Angelina Teakaraanga-Katoa.

Interchange: 14. Ashleigh Quinlan 15. Annessa Biddle 16. Shannon Mato 17. Ivana Lauitiiti.

Reserves: 18. Brooke Anderson 19. Zahara Temara 20. Brianna Clark 21. Abigail Roache 22. Tenika Willison.

Kiwis:

1. Kalyn Ponga, 2. Jamayne Isaako, 3. Dane Gagai, 4. Casey McLean, 5. Ronaldo Mulitalo, 6. Kodi Nikorima, 7. Jahrome Hughes, 8. James Fisher-Harris (c), 9. Jeremy Marshall-King, 10. Moses Leota, 11. Isaiah Papali’i, 12. Briton Nikora, 13. Joseph Tapine (v/c).

Interchange: 14. Te Maire Martin, 15. Naufahu Whyte, 16. Erin Clark, 17. Xavier Willison.

Reserves: 18. Keano Kini, 19. Phoenix Crossland, 20. Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad, 21. Scott Sorensen, 22. Leo Thompson.

rnz

Latest News

Parliamentary Service working on extra chairs and offices for increased number of MPs

Published

4 days ago

November 11, 2026

News Staff

The chief executive of the Parliamentary Service is confident there will be enough room to accommodate the increased number of MPs and their staff coming into Parliament.

On current numbers, up to 131 MPs could be sitting in the Chamber following the election, brought on by a record overhang result.

Clerk of the House of Representatives Dr David Wilson told the Spinoff that currently the debating chamber had enough chairs to seat 124 MPs – including the Speaker of the House – and work was being done to accommodate more by altering the seating arrangement.

In a statement, Parliamentary Service chief executive Rafael Gonzalez-Montero said planning for a larger Parliament had been going for “some time”.

“Now that the election results have confirmed an increase to the number of members we are looking at several options.

“We are confident we will be able to accommodate all members within the Chamber.”

Chief Executive of the Parliamentary Service Rafael Gonzalez-Montero appears before select committee. — Parliamentary Service chief executive Rafael Gonzalez-Montero.

VNP / Phil Smith

Gonzalez-Montero said office accommodation for members and their staff would be “stretched” for a short time, but the new Members’ Building was only a few months away from “practical completion”.

That building – located behind Parliament – was due to be ready to occupy in April next year and had capacity to accommodate around 30 backbench MPs.

“All members should be in fit-for-purpose accommodation from that point,” Gonzalez-Montero said.

Following the 2023 election, 123 MPs sat in the Chamber – a record number at the time. That decreased to 122 following the resignation of National MP Judith Collins.

Collins held the seat of Papakura and stepped down in May and Parliament voted against holding a by-election because it was too close to the election.

The election result also meant high-ranking National Party MPs like Chris Bishop, Paul Goldsmith, Nicola Willis and Gerry Brownlee – Speaker of the House and an MP for 30 years – would likely not make it back into Parliament.

Only resigning or retiring MPs were permitted to give a valedictory speech meaning none of them would get the chance to give a valedictory statement.

Asked if their would be special allowances for valedictories, Wilson said in a statement that normally only MPs were allowed to speak in the House but the House could suspend its own rules or temporarily alter them.

“It could do so to allow former members to address the House.”

Wilson said no such arrangements could be made until the next Parliament opened and members sworn in.

rnz