Principal backs convicted fraudster
A woman convicted of stealing nearly half a million dollars from her former employer in 2013 has been appointed to a Porirua school board, and she has the full backing of the principal.
Lady Talaepa has been appointed to Postgate School’s board as its co-opted Māori representative.
She was previously convicted under the name Lady Bernadette Cooper – Lady is her first name, not her title – and was sentenced to two years, two months in prison after confessing to defrauding AMP in her capacity as a team leader over several years.
Her appointment is not illegal.
The Education and Training Act 2020 said people who had served more than two years in prison were ineligible for school board appointment, although this exclusion doesn’t apply once the sentence has been served.
Postgate School principal Adam Campbell had been aware of Talaepa’s ‘‘past’’ for some time, but had the ‘‘utmost respect’’ for her.
‘‘We all make mistakes,’’ Campbell said.
‘‘Lady’s contribution to the board has been outstanding . . . from Postgate School’s perspective, she has been an outstanding member of our school community.’’
Her position on the board threw up ethical issues, including whether it was appropriate for a person with dishonesty convictions to have influence over the financial stewardship of a school, and whether people should be entitled to a fresh start after serving their sentence.
While principals are responsible for the day-to-day running of a school, school boards have several major functions, including making financial decisions governing a school’s operations.
When Talaepa was approached for comment, she asked several questions about the source of the information and said she hadn’t consented to checks on her background being done.
She asked whether Stuff’s story would be ‘‘manaenhancing’’ before determining that it wouldn’t be. She ended the call.
Talaepa’s appointment comes as the Ministry of Education seeks public feedback on school board member eligibility as well as a draft code of conduct for board members.
However, the latter didn’t deal with the suitability of prospective board members, only their actions once appointed.
The Ministry’s hautū (leader) of operations and integration, Sean Teddy, said certain people weren’t eligible to become board members, including undischarged bankrupts.
‘‘If a person has served their sentence, they are eligible for board membership, and are not specifically required to declare whether they have been convicted of any offence as part of the process, unless they are still serving the penalty.’’
Education and Police Minister Chris Hipkins last month confirmed police vetting for board candidates was being considered in light of the concerns raised by the candidacy of white supremacist Philip Arps, who stood for a seat on Christchurch’s Te Aratai College board.
He received only 25 votes in last month’s board elections and finished in last place.
Hipkins said some candidates ‘‘aren’t suitable’’ because of past offending, but he was mindful of introducing any measures that could impinge on the democratic process.
Board members were required to sign a declaration saying they were of good character before starting in their role.
Talaepa confessed to stealing $494,828.74 from clients’ funds, pleading guilty to theft in a special relationship, accessing a computer for dishonest purposes, false accounting and money laundering.
Between November 2006 and July 2011, Talaepa made 112 false transactions, of those 91 involved direct transfer of funds to bank accounts held by her and her family.
Four cars were also bought for more than $115,000 with her husband signing the ownership papers.
Talaepa confessed before her fraud was detected as she was about to be made an Elim Church leader, telling police she committed the crimes because she felt undervalued by her employer. Since completing her prison sentence, Talaepa has been quoted in media as national manager for Prison Fellowship New Zealand and ran a website selling indigenous healing services.
When asked whether it was appropriate for a person with dishonesty convictions to have input into a school’s financial decisions, New Zealand School Trustees Association president Lorraine Kerr said decisions were made by the entire board, and not by an individual.