Plunket branches brace for legal battle
PLUNKET branches are lawyering up and taking on the national body over who controls the purse strings.
Karori, Culverden, and Khandallah branches are seeking legal opinions after the national office decided to take control of all assets, including cash raised by the local branches.
The move was ‘‘morally bankrupt’’ and felt like larceny to former Khandallah Plunket toy library treasurer Kim Bannon.
The national society of the 110-year-old charity was secretive in the way it transferred $12,000 from the branch without telling signatories, and then closed the bank account, she said.
The branch was considering whether to take the matter to the Banking Ombudsman and the Charities Commission.
The executive team was out of touch and had developed a disturbing sense of entitlement to the funds, Bannon said.
Plunket’s total income from last year was $85 million – threequarters of which was taxpayerfunded – while 11 senior managers were paid salaries of more than $180,000. Last year’s marketing budget was $1.5m, and since June 2016 more than $52.5m in assets had been integrated from area societies.
Three weeks ago Plunket announced Karori Plunket Creche’s closure, and took $50,000 set aside for renovations.
Plunket chief executive Amanda Malu said there was nothing untoward in the Khandallah transaction because the bank signing rights went over to the national society when the Wellington/Wairarapa area society was dissolved in 2016.
While the process had been ‘‘clouded by emotion and misunderstanding’’, Malu acknowledged some of the details may not have filtered down to everyone.