Report after rip-off finally ready
A court-ordered review into the affairs of a Taranaki hapu¯ which was ripped off by its former chief executive to the tune of $480,000 has finally been completed, more than two years after it was first requested.
The review of the Nga¯ti Te
Whiti Whenua To¯pu Trust was ordered in August 2017, at a point when it was in disarray following the discovery its former chief executive, Shaun Keenan, had stolen $486,045.71 during the five years he was in the job.
The Ma¯ori Land Court was told on Thursday that a final draft of the review report had now been completed.
In August this year, Keenan – a former police officer who served for more than 20 years – was jailed for three years and eight months after pleading guilty to 46 charges in connection with the theft, which left hapu¯ members reeling.
It also put on hold plans to build a $4.5 million marae.
When news of the theft and Keenan’s prosecution became public, the Ma¯ori Land Court asked for an independent look into the trust’s operations.
The final report has now been disseminated to the parties and will be discussed at a further court hearing in February.
In November 2017, Pauline Lockett was appointed as an independent trustee, tasked by the Ma¯ori Land Court to keep it updated and also provide support to other trustees.
In a draft document, sent out prior to this week’s hearing, it highlighted how her expertise had added ‘‘significant value to the trust operations at a critical time’’.
It also outlined how Lockett was unaware of the amount of work which would be required to ‘‘tidy up the trust’s affairs’’ when she first took on the role.