Hapu money probe is still open

A police investigation launched after a substantial amount of money went missing from a Taranaki hapu remains open, as a forensic report detailing the full extent of the alleged theft awaits completion.

Alarm bells rang for Nga¯ ti Te Whiti Whenua Topu Trust in August 2016 when the organisation’s financial accounts were not prepared for auditing.

An internal investigation was launched and discrepancies in its accounts were discovered. A complaint was then laid with police by the trust in May 2017.

The amount of money involved in the alleged offending has not been officially established but is believed to be in excess of $300,000.

In June, the organisation’s former chief executive, Shaun Keenan, was charged with a representative count of theft by a person in a special relationship.

However, this was withdrawn by police in August, pending the laying of further charges. This has yet to occur.

The theft allegations have seen the long-held dream of the hapu to build its own marae put on hold. Plans for a $4.5 million building along Nga¯ motu Beach have been scrapped.

Detective Senior Sergeant Brent Matuku said the investigation was ongoing and police were still awaiting the completion of a full forensic report by the police asset recovery unit.

He hoped this would be done by the end of November.

Nga¯ ti Te Whiti Whenua Topu trust spokesman Peter Moeahu said the delay in any prosecution regarding the missing money did not worry the organisation.

He said the trust was not under any financial pressure, but the whole affair had taken a personal toll on the sitting trustees.

Of the five currently appointed, only two will seek re-election in December, Moeahu said.

In August, Maori Land Court Judge Layne Harvey directed a hearing be held to undertake an indepth look at the trust’s affairs.

A further hearing in the court is scheduled in December.

- Deena Coster