A realtor and Married at First Sight contestant has had his real estate licence cancelled for failing to complete a controversial course on Māori culture and tikanga.
Michael Wilson claimed he could not complete the course, called Te Kākano (The Seed), because he was filming the reality television show over six weeks and could not check his emails.
The course drew headlines earlier this year when fellow realtor Janet Dickson challenged its validity and refused to complete it.
Dickson has since taken the Real Estate Authority to the High Court - backed by Hobson’s Pledge - to seek a judicial review of whether the industry regulator has the power to force its members to complete compulsory training.
Dickson labelled the course “woke madness” in a Facebook post and said she was going to fight for her rights “to make sure this doesn’t happen to anyone else”.
Her refusal was based on concerns an industry body can force its members to complete training “on a subject that is only peripherally connected to their job under threat of losing their right to work”.
While Dickson’s failure to complete the 90-minute course was motivated by her not seeing any value in it, Wilson claims he simply did not have the time giving his filming commitments.
A recent ruling from the Real Estate Agents Disciplinary Tribunal has upheld a ruling from the registrar of the Real Estate Authority to cancel Wilson’s licence for failing to complete the course in time.
However, Wilson told NZME he had no issue with the course, he simply did not realise he needed to complete it because he was off-grid for six weeks.
“I was just super busy with life and didn’t realise there was an extra course,” he said, “And then I was out filming.”
Wilson said he had since completed the course.
“The course was fine, it was just basic stuff you learn at school,” he said.
“It’s just disappointing they’re cancelling my licence when I’ve completed it.
“It’s just ridiculous.”
Wilson said he hadn’t even heard of Janet Dickson, nor about her controversial decision not to complete the same course and then subsequently seek a judicial review.
Wilson appealed the registrar’s finding to cancel his licence but, in a recently released decision, the tribunal upheld cancellation despite late evidence he’d filed stating that he’d been filming and hadn’t seen his emails.
Enlisted real estate agents must complete 10 hours of compulsory training as well as 10 hours of training from a list of elective topics each year to retain their licence.
Te Kākano was one of the two compulsory topics for 2023 but has since moved into the elective category for 2024 - meaning it’s not compulsory for new real estate agents.
Wilson had completed 8.5 hours of his training by December 2023 but by March this year, the registrar sent an email saying his licence would be cancelled if he didn’t complete the remaining 1.5 hours.
Wilson said he did not realise Te Kākano was accessed through a third-party provider and was granted 10 days to complete it.
However, he did not complete the course and by May 9 the authority cancelled his licence.
Wilson then filed additional evidence that he had been away for six weeks filming the reality television show Married at First Sight and had been without a cell phone and laptop.
Upon his return, he completed the course and sent through proof, before pleading mercy to the registrar.
The Real Estate Authority submitted to the tribunal Wilson was simply too late and he could have told them about his filming commitments in March.
The tribunal sided with the authority and said Wilson was clearly advised of the requirement to complete the course in March.
“We are satisfied that the registrar made no error of law or fact and followed the correct process in cancelling the applicant’s licence following his failure to complete the required CPD,” its ruling reads.
Wilson told NZME that he was busy running another business but plans to reapply for his licence in future.
Jeremy Wilkinson is an Open Justice reporter based in Manawatū covering courts and justice issues with an interest in tribunals. He has been a journalist for nearly a decade and has worked for NZME since 2022.
