A former Oranga Tamariki employee who helped oversee work meant to support vulnerable children has been jailed after stealing more than $2 million from the agency.
The woman, who worked as a property and facilities manager, used her position to funnel work and payments to a construction company run by her husband, while hiding their relationship from her employer.
Over time, the scheme saw more than $2 million paid out by the ministry through fraudulent invoices and contracts that bypassed proper scrutiny.
Investigators later uncovered the deception, revealing forged documents, undisclosed conflicts of interest, and a pattern of manipulating internal processes to approve payments.
The Serious Fraud Office took over the case, leading to charges of obtaining by deception and money laundering against both the woman and her husband.
The woman has been sentenced to three years in prison, while her husband has also admitted his role in the offending and faced separate sentencing.
The case has raised serious concerns about oversight within Oranga Tamariki, an agency tasked with protecting some of the country’s most vulnerable tamariki, and highlights how trust within the system was exploited for personal gain.
