Public servant leaves NZ after theft allegation

Staff at a former employer of a public servant sacked for alleged theft say concerns were previously raised about her.

Joanne Harrison, a senior manager at the Ministry of Transport, was sacked last week for allegedly stealing hundreds of thousands of taxpayers’ dollars.

She is understood to have left New Zealand, possibly for Canada, after being accused of stealing money through false contracting arrangements.

Ministry management was alerted earlier this year to ‘‘financial discrepancies’’ linked to Harrison, who was the general manager of organisational development.

Those discrepancies amounted to a ‘‘six-figure fraud’’, understood to be about $750,000 to $1 million.

The Serious Fraud Office was called in, and concluded its investigation a week ago, a source said.

Harrison was sacked soon after. The Serious Fraud Office has confirmed an investigation at the ministry is under way.

Ministry chief executive Peter Mersi, who took over the top job four days ago, confirmed Harrison was no longer an employee, ‘‘and her whereabouts are a matter for the Serious Fraud Office’’.

He said staff felt ‘‘betrayed’’ by Harrison. ‘‘My focus is on ensuring this person is held fully to account for her actions, and that any money that may have been misappropriated is recovered.

‘‘In light of what has happened, it is prudent to confirm that our systems, processes and controls are robust.

‘‘To provide this assurance, a number of reviews are now under way. These focus on internal controls and recruitment processes. This was a senior staff member in a position of high trust, and my staff feel incredibly let down and betrayed by her actions,’’ Mersi said.

Harrison’s time at the ministry was served largely under former chief executive Martin Matthews.

‘‘She had the chief executive’s ear,’’ a source said.

She joined the ministry’s leadership team after April 2013 and was credited with establishing ‘‘organisational leadership’’.

As a senior manager, she reported directly to the chief executive, and was authorised to spend money without sign-off.

A source who worked with Harrison at the ministry said: ‘‘She came across as caring and giving but . . . she would really be out to divide and conquer.’’

Harrison previously went by the name Joanne Sharp and worked for Tower Insurance.

The Good Returns financial news website said Sharp was appointed ‘‘head of people and change’’ in October 2005.

As Joanne Harrison, she later worked for the Far North District Council, where she again had a senior leadership position.

A council source said concerns about her history were raised after she was appointed.

A former colleague said she came across as plausible, and was never ostentatious.

‘‘She wasn’t a person that stood out . . . she was very personable and quite good at her job, actually.’’