Fraud betrayal
Trust boss had complete faith in the manager he hired, who was secretly stealing, writes Melanie Earley.
A fraudster who conned the Waitangi Treaty Grounds trust out of $1.2 million was regarded by the man who hired him as the ‘‘least corruptible person’’ he had ever met.
On Friday, Wallace Te Ahuru was jailed for three years and eight months for stealing from the trust, which administers the Treaty Grounds.
The 31-year-old used the money on overseas travel, clothing and cosmetic surgery.
In a victim impact statement, Waitangi Trust chief executive Greg McManus said he was ‘‘shocked and devastated’’ on learning of Te Ahuru’s crimes as the two had been close friends for more than a decade.
The two met in 2005 when McManus employed Te Ahuru ‘‘straight out of high school’’ to work at Rotorua Museum.
Later, when McManus began working at Waitangi, he asked Te Ahuru to join him as a corporate services manager.
‘‘He become a close personal and family friend,’’ McManus said. ‘‘He looked after our house when we were away and he spent three Christmas Days with our family during his time here.’’
When McManus was first told in January 2018 that Te Ahuru was suspected of major fraud, he couldn’t believe it.
‘‘I thought there must have been a mistake – but once it became clear it was true I was completely shocked and devastated.’’
In the 12 years the two men had known each other, McManus said he had put ‘‘complete trust in him’’.
‘‘I had actually referred to him as the least corruptible person I knew, it was for this reason plus his exemplary work ethic I encouraged him to move to Waitangi and assist me with the rebuilding of the organisation.’’
At the time, McManus said the organisation had been in a ‘‘poor state financially and in many other ways’’.
‘‘I needed someone I could