$ 22,000 payout for ‘ lippy’ worker

Winz fraud accused granted name secrecy Iro replaces suspended Kemp as Kiwis’ manager

by Melissa Hills A ‘‘ lippy’’ administration manager found to have been unjustifiably dismissed has been awarded $ 22,000 in lost wages and compensation.

Robyn Marie Lloyd worked at AV Services, a small audiovisual services company in Wellington, from 2007 to 2011, an Employment Relations Authority decision says.

She left the company after several ‘‘ abusive’’ confrontations with owner Peter Stobbart.

Ms Lloyd claimed her former boss was so abusive that she had to leave and she also made a statement to police outlining Mr Stobbart’s threatening behaviour.

Mr Stobbart accepted his outbursts were unacceptable and he had apologised for them, although he considered he was ‘‘ sorely provoked’’.

The ERA acknowledged that Ms Lloyd was ‘‘ stubborn and lippy’’.

Both parties were described as using bad language and ‘‘ regularly arguing with each other’’ and because of their opinionated personalities

by Edward Gay A couple alleged to have ripped off taxpayers for $ 375,000 in Work and Income payments have been allowed to keep their names secret for now.

The pair, aged 48 and 51, each face six charges of deception.

In the Manukau District Court yesterday Judge David Ruth granted them name suppression so they could tell family members of the charges.

Duty lawyer Shane Cassidy told the court that the man had an elderly mother and adult children.

‘‘ He wants to be able to sit his family down and tell them what he has been charged with.’’

Judge Ruth remanded the pair on bail to reappear next month.

The couple are accused of using false documents to receive Work and Income payments.

Each allegedly took a 25 per cent cut of payments, and $ 375,000 was paid since December 2011.

by Steve Deane Assistant coach Tony Iro will replace the suspended Tony Kemp as Kiwis team manager for next Friday night’s Anzac test against the Kangaroos in Canberra.

Iro, who is also Kemp’s deputy in the New Zealand Rugby League’s high performance department, will take over the management duties when the team convenes in Canberra on Monday.

Kemp has been suspended from his dual roles at the NZRL pending an independent investigation into a sexual harassment complaint.

NZRL chief executive Phil Holden would not comment on the status of an investigation that had reportedly been due to be completed this week. But he said a contingency plan that they had a strained relationship during the last year or so of Ms Lloyd’s employment.

Matters came to a head in July 2011 when Mr Stobbart asked her to clean the office, something she said was not her responsibility.

The confrontation resulted in the pair swearing at each other.

The next month Wellington had a very heavy snowfall and Ms Lloyd left work early without permission.

When she returned the pair had another argument and after being called a ‘‘ silly woman’’ by Mr Stobbart she left and called the police.

Ms Lloyd laid a complaint of threatening behaviour. She never returned to work. The ERA concluded that from Mr Stobbart’s own evidence, his behaviour towards Ms Lloyd was unreasonable, even if he had been provoked into it.

Ms Lloyd was awarded $ 12,000 in lost wages and $ 10,000 compensation.

Neither party was available for comment.

According to police charge sheets, the couple used false documents to also get Work and Income payments for emergency dental treatment, optometry, whiteware and furniture.

Some of the people the couple allegedly used to apply for the money were also named in the charge sheets.

Their Papatoetoe home was raided by police on Thursday following an investigation started after a tipoff from the Ministry of Social Development early last month.

A ministry spokeswoman would not discuss how the payments could have been made to the couple, but Associate Social Development Minister Chester Borrows said: ‘‘ The vast majority of the payments were benefit advances and the beneficiaries in the main are repaying these out of their regular benefit payments.’’

Payment processes had changed since the alleged offences came to light. involved Iro taking over the team management duties had been in place for some time.

‘‘ Working through what we’ve been working through, we’ve had a plan in place in case we got close to the game we wanted to have minimal disruption,’’ Mr Holden said.

‘‘ Tony has stepped up and has been doing a great job, so it is all good from that perspective.’’

Iro, who played 25 tests for the Kiwis, has served as an assistant to coach Stephen Kearney since 2009.

Tony Kemp