Woman pleads not guilty to theft after receiving mistaken bank transfer
Photo:
RNZ / Liu Chen
A woman charged with theft after receiving a pensioner's life savings by mistake has entered a not guilty plea.
The 38-year-old West Auckland woman appeared before a magistrate at the Auckland District Court on Tuesday.
Auckland retiree Sit Bong (Andrew) Che, 78, mistakenly transferred $158,643 from the UK early last year to the wrong account after missing a digit when entering payment instructions for his own Westpac account.
Following the bank's own internal protocols, Westpac added a zero to the suffix, which ended up being another person's account.
The recipient refused to return the money despite complaints Che lodged with the police, the banks in New Zealand and the UK as well as the banking ombudsman in both jurisdictions.
Barclays Bank refunded Che's money in May, more than a year after the erroneous transfer occurred.
A 37-year-old West Auckland man also pleaded not guilty to a charge of receiving $64,000 from the woman.
The pair face up to seven years' imprisonment if convicted.
They have been granted interim name suppression on the grounds of hardship and fair trial rights until their next appearance on 15 July.
The pair have been placed on bail with conditions that include not associating with the complainant.
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RNZ News
29 minutes ago
- RNZ News
‘Leaks', 'mould' and sewage: The kura in Christchurch still waiting for permanent site
Rangimarie Parata-Takurua and pononga (students) harvesting food in the māra kai (garden for food) at Te Pā o Rākaihautū. Left to right: Kade Te Whata-Kururangi, Deegan McGarr, Hineterā Davis, Rangimarie, Wahawaha Winiata, Celia Williams and Hawaiki Jones-Fiso. Photo: Phil Tumataroa When you step through the gates at Te Pā o Rākaihautū, you can feel the manaakitanga from its people wrap around you like a korowai. Every morning, students and their whānau from the Christchurch-based school are welcomed in with a big 'kia ora' from kaiako. "You'll hear waiata playing in the background. You'll hear genuine laughter and happiness to be there," said kaiurungi and principal Terina Tahau. Inside, along the corridors, sepia-toned portraits of students dressed in feather kākahu (cloaks) and adorned with mataora and moko kauwae (Māori facial tattoos) line the walls - on one side photos show students on their first day of school, the other side displaying graduates - it serves as motivation for whānau Māori, many of whom haven't felt engaged or served by traditional Western systems of education. The school's board chair says, for some whānau, the photos represent the first time their children are seeing themselves as Māori after three or four generations of disconnection from their cultural identity. Photo: RNZ / Nate McKinnon But that wairua, or spirit, you feel in the school is a stark contrast to the actual temperatures inside. The almost 70-year-old repurposed buildings are doing their best to keep the bitter cold out. Still, the students' breaths are visible as they giggle and chatter to each other on their way to class. Signs of water damage are visible in one classroom, with parts of the wall rotting away and the ceiling paint peeling. Te Pā o Rākaihautū is the South Island's first kura-ā-iwi, a state school mandated by local hapū or iwi. It was established as a 'Designated Character' school in 2014, and is a unique 21st-century pā wānanga (learning village). But it never received a permanent site or new school buildings. Instead, it has been operating out of a temporary site, which leaders say is causing health and safety problems. School leadership feels it has been battling against institutional racism and inequity from the Ministry of Education for more than a decade. RNZ examines the school's efforts to secure a permanent site and sufficient resources, despite its success in Māori-medium education. Ministry of Education chief executive for school property Jerome Sheppard has acknowledged the school's concerns and said it was working with them to ensure that all students and staff have access to safe, warm and dry facilities. Te Pā o Rākaihautū originated from a group of friends gathering in an Irish pub. Brought together by their shared love of waiata Māori, they established what is now a well-known South Island-based Kapa Haka rōpū, Te Ahikaaroa. But when there was a 'baby boom' in the group, the education options catering specifically to Māori were few and far between. Te Pā founder and now chairperson Rangimarie Parata-Takurua said they started asking each other: "What is the environment we need to create for our kids to not just endure education, but really enjoy it and thrive?" In the process, they thought back to their own experiences of the education system and when they were most engaged in learning. Founder and Board Chair Rangimarie Parata-Takurua. Photo: Phil Tumataroa "Inevitably it wasn't when we were sitting in a classroom or sitting in assembly … It was when we were back at our own marae, when we were surrounded by people that loved us, that fed us, that we did things with them that mattered to us. "That was the beginning of Te Pā," she said. The school's founders first applied to open the pā in the aftermath of the 2011 earthquakes in Christchurch, but it was not until three years later that the government approved the establishment of Te Pā o Rākaihautū as a year 1-13 co-education school in Christchurch, opening in 2015. The approval came without a business case or property budget attached, and Te Pā was assigned a temporary site at Richmond Primary School, a school that had previously closed down due to earthquake damage. Due to rapid roll growth and the site's unsuitability, the school moved to another temporary site the same year it opened, this time to the previously closed-down Linwood Intermediate School. Since 2015, the old repurposed buildings in Linwood have had numerous health and safety issues. According to principal Terina Tahau, she and the property manager meet every morning at 7am to walk around the pā, identifying any new leaks, broken pipes, or other issues. Signs of water-damage were visible in one of the classrooms RNZ visited. Photo: RNZ / Nate McKinnon One of the last major incidents involved sewage flooding on a Sunday. "We had to get that cleaned up because we got kids coming on Monday, and the last thing they need to even think is that that's okay, because it's not. "We spend many a weekend here because something's popped up." The buildings are also cold. "We know we have to keep our heat pumps on overnight because these facilities freeze, and if we don't have those heat pumps on 24/7 from Monday to Friday, then we're letting our pononga (students) come into something that's not suitable," Tahau said. Kaiurungi and Principal Terina Tahau. Photo: RNZ / Nate McKinnon An independent workplace health and safety report - commissioned by the school's board in May - outlines what it says are "critical issues" that require "immediate and comprehensive action". The report was done by Health and Safety at Work NZ, a Christchurch-based company that offers certifications, audits, investigations and training. Some of the findings included "rotting window frames and sills" throughout classrooms, "significant ongoing leaks" over the kitchen area where school meals are prepared, and "widespread water damage to internal walls and ceilings, with visible mould growth in certain areas". It also noted that evidence had emerged of health deterioration among staff and students, including "increased asthma symptoms reported among staff. Breathing difficulties and respiratory illness reported in students not previously affected". "The findings from the 2025 inspection confirm that Te Pā o Rākaihautū continues to pose significant health and safety risks to its occupants. Despite partial repairs, the buildings remain cold, damp and in disrepair compromising the wellbeing of staff, students, and visitors." A 2025 draft ERO report says the buildings "need replacing". Photo: RNZ / Nate McKinnon Additionally, successive reports done by the Education Review Office (ERO) in 2017, 2021 and 2025 all highlighted the need for a permanent site and new buildings. According to the most recent draft report by ERO, provided to RNZ by the school, securing a permanent site and building that "reflects the unique kaupapa of Te Pā o Rākaihautū" is "required". "The pā has operated out of a temporary site for 10 years that compromises the health and safety of pononga and hinders realising the strategic goals of whānau." The 2025 ERO report also said that the board, Te Tautarinui o Matariki, spends a "disproportionate amount of time and resources managing the ongoing aged property related issues". "The pā continues to operate from a temporary site after 10 years. Again, ERO supports the need for Te Pā to establish their permanent pā site to realise their aspirations and full potential. "The buildings are well past their use by date and need replacing," the ERO report said. ERO did note that students are emotionally safe and healthy. The school has demonstrated strong academic results. The draft 2025 ERO report stated that students are achieving above national averages across all levels of NCEA. "We can show results that the ministry has been unable to achieve in mainstream schooling since forever," said Parata-Takarua. Part of their success story can be attributed to their kai programme, Parata-Takurua said. The project is called "Puku Māra," which loosely translates to mean "digestive gardening", and focuses on Papatūānuku's (earth mother's) gut health. Photo: Phil Tumataroa Each day at school, all of the students, from year 1 to 13, receive two full meals. "We were able to install commercial kitchens straight away, and we feed our kids breakfast and lunch." Over the years, they have even built gardens and grown food themselves to supply the kitchen, something the students are actively involved with. Half of the back field is now gardens, alongside 30 hectares they are leasing in the red zone, near the school. With the first crop expected in the next season, Parata-Takurua said the initiative helps students reconnect with the whenua and understand composting processes. The school was recognised internationally, winning the Zayed Sustainability Prize in the Global High Schools East Asia and Pacific category. The land leased in the red zone was contaminated from previous housing, with old piping and waste underneath. Now, Te Pā has built up enough compost on the surface to start growing food on one hectare. Photo: Phil Tumataroa In May of 2023, a new site was identified near Te Waipapa, Diamond Harbour, at the base of Te Ahupātiki Eight hectares of ancestral whenua, the same location where the school's namesake, Ngāi Tahu ancestor Rākaihautū, buried his famous kō (digging tool). The new site would allow the school to return home. The land had been owned by the local council since 1913, and in 2024, Te Hapū o Ngāti Wheke went through the process of buying it, which was unanimously agreed to by the council. If the proposal is approved by the Ministry of Education, the school hopes to run a dual-site model, a city-site, and the Diamond Harbour site. Under the proposal, the hapū would lease the land back to the Ministry for Education. Members of Te Pae Whakatere, the Te Pā working group, and officials from the Ministry of Education visit the proposed site for the kura at Te Waipapa, Diamond Harbour on Te Pātaka o Rākaihautū. Photo: Phil Tumataroa But the school's leadership is not holding out hope, as out of the 10 options presented by the Ministry, Parata-Takurua said nine focused solely on fixing up the current buildings. "The current buildings being a temporary site that we never ever envisaged that would be the permanent home for our pā wananga. It completely ignored all the work we'd done on the site in Diamond Harbour." In a statement, Jerome Sheppard from the Ministry of Education acknowledged the concerns raised by Te Pā o Rākaihautū. "We have been working with them to ensure that all students and staff have access to safe, warm and dry facilities. That is why we continue to work with Te Pā o Rākaihautū to finalise a scope that will allow for investment in the redevelopment of the existing site, which will include a mixture of new and existing buildings to support up to 350 students." Sheppard said that many schools throughout New Zealand operate from ageing building stock. "These buildings can and are being successfully maintained and upgraded to support learning, and we are confident we can achieve the same with the property for Te Pā o Rākaihautū. "We continue to work closely with Te Pā, within the current fiscal environment, to make sure their provision reflects the importance of Kaupapa Māori Education," Sheppard said. Parata-Takurua said treatment of Te Pā feels like racism to her. "I've yet to be persuaded that it's something else." She said she feels there are "elements of ignorance and arrogance" from the ministry, leading to the dismissal of Māori-medium education's proven success. The Ministry of Education did not wish to respond to the school's comments regarding perceived racism, ignorance, or arrogance within the ministry when contacted by RNZ. "I'd like to invite people to come and spend a couple of days in our shoes and see what that 'privilege' looks like. That privilege looks like this. We're still in old broken buildings, and now we're being pushed down a path of 'accept this or it could be nothing." According to the Ministry of Education, Budget 25 allocated $544 million for growth (including roll growth, new schools, and learning support roll growth), of which $50m is earmarked for Māori Medium Education/Kaupapa Māori Education. Kura make up approximately 6 percent of schools nationwide. Parata-Takurua said it means only one or two kura might get lucky with new builds each year, while others must "scrape it out of wherever they can find some loose change". The property challenges Te Pā is facing are felt by the tamariki and their whānau too. Kay-Lee Jones is a māmā of three children who attend or have attended Te Pā. She feels the whole situation is "inequitable". "All around Ōtautahi, especially post-earthquakes, we had all these very fancy schools being established here, there, and everywhere, and our kids see this, and it's disheartening." She said she worries about the well-being of the staff and students. "Our kids, they don't deserve this." The property challenges Te Pā is facing are felt by the tamariki and their whānau too. Photo: Phil Tumataroa Jones shares the example of her son Wi, who was around nine years old when discussions about the need for new school buildings first started. Now at 17 and about to graduate, he will never see any improved facilities. She worries the same might happen with her nine-year-old child as well. In 2013, the government announced the Christchurch School Rebuild (CSR) programme, with the aim to replace or repair 115 earthquake damaged schools in Christchurch over the following 10 years. As of March this year, 100 schools have been completed, 11 schools are under construction, and three schools are in the planning and design stages. As Te Pā o Rākaihautū was not established until 2014, its redevelopment or rebuild is not within the scope of the CSR programme, according to the Ministry of Education. Tahau said the health and safety challenges have been more than frustrating. "We already know what works. We're acknowledged for it, so get out of the way. "Get on the waka or get out of the way. Because, pono katoa mātou ki tō mātou kaupapa (We are all true to our cause)." Late last week, Parata-Takarua said the school had received another letter from the ministry, which reconfirmed the funding for the "redevelopment" of their current site in Linwood, instead of a custom build at a new site. Parata-Takurua said it was now left with a take-it-or-leave-it ultimatum and had engaged its lawyers. "For more than a decade, our children have been left in unsafe, cold, damp buildings while 100 other Christchurch schools were rebuilt around us. The ministry's legal responsibilities extend well beyond 'warm, safe and dry'." A spokesperson for Education Minister Erica Standford said she would not be commenting as it was an operational matter for the ministry. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
Newsroom
an hour ago
- Newsroom
City of No Sales: What's wrong with Auckland?
Auckland's been labelled the City of Fails after its annual State of the City report which highlighted glaring issues with the city's economy, productivity, innovation, education and more. Its flagging GDP, city sprawl, reliance on cars, a lack of walkability … the condemnation goes on. But it wasn't just this one report. Other issues have been regularly highlighted this year – the sudden increase in homelessness; endless road works and construction from the City Rail Link development; gaping holes where CBD developments have just stopped, the cranes in cold storage. All this while the South Island and rural communities are showing sparks of coming out of recession in a post-Covid era. It's a tale of two different economic recoveries. The Detail looks at what's wrong with Auckland, what's right and what needs to be done to make it better. The CEO of the Auckland Business Chamber, Simon Bridges, has been pushing the Government to come to the aid of the city, where he's seeing the results of weak economic growth, a lack of investment and flagging retail trade. He says he's tried to put politics aside but yes, it's possible his former job as leader of the National Party has helped his advocacy. 'I think central government is listening,' he says. 'I think what we need to see now is just a bit of urgent action. If you think about Auckland, we've had several years of difficulty and you might say well, what's several more months? But the reality is even if things do get a bit better next year, there's a lot of pain out there. 'I've put forward some ideas of things that could be done, but I don't have a monopoly on the answers. Ultimately what we want to see happen is stuff that is going to improve the sentiment and get some spending happening, because if Auckland was a business it would be a business with a cashflow issue.' So far the Government hasn't raced in to help with any short-term stimulus. Prime Minister Christopher Luxon told RNZ he would 'keep looking at what we can do' but 'Auckland-specific stimulus thing is quite difficult to do … I don't know how you'd go about doing that.' Bridges has given him a bunch of ideas, including relaxing visa requirements for Asian tourists to make it easier for them to come here, encouraging international students and letting Mayor Wayne Brown have his bed levy as a way of increasing council income and bidding for more big events to come to the city. 'We're not rich enough that we don't need that money swilling around at a time when in Auckland at least, hotel rates – occupancy and so on – is very bad. Worse than last year actually.' There are some bright lights on the horizon, including the scheduled opening next year of the long-awaited City Rail Link, and the International Convention Centre. However the infrastructure pipeline behind that is looking bleak, especially with government moves to cap rates rises, block councils from using other methods to raise money, and now the introduction of some hasty rules telling councils what they should focus on and how they should behave. The Local Government (Systems Improvement) Amendment Bill, which councils have just four weeks to submit on, tells them to stick to core services like roads, rubbish and water, and get rid of nice-to-haves like spending on cultural, community and environmental things – things the city is measured on internationally. North Shore resident Hayden Donnell is a senior writer for the Spinoff. He thinks the city is improving, and can list a raft of places in the CBD where it's lively, pedestrian-friendly and full of great cafes and restaurants. Donnell talks to The Detail about the good and the bad, including beaches, buses and bad planning rules. 'I think we probably are a little bit negative about Auckland,' he says. 'Maybe we do undersell the fact that we have this beautiful natural environment, there's a lot of places that are going really well. 'At the same time I think it's true … there are lots of areas where we could improve, where the rest of the world has caught up with this thing called 'walkable areas' and 'pedestrian malls' … that kind of vibrant shopping that you can go to Europe and experience doesn't really happen here to the same extent. 'But we shouldn't lose sight of the fact that we're very fortunate.' Something Aucklanders do have is Auckland FC, which has lit the city up with it's nearly all-conquering ways this year breaking A-League crowd records in its debut season. The director of Auckland Football is Terry McFlynn, who grew up in a little village in south Derry, Northern Ireland. He's lived in Perth, Sydney and London. Now he lives in Auckland. 'There's a lot of people that take a lot of pride in Auckland as a city and want to see it progress, and want to see a vibrant city, which I believe it is. 'I think the restaurants and bars and that lifestyle that Auckland can give around the viaduct and down by the harbour … you know it's second to none in the whole world in my opinion.' Check out how to listen to and follow The Detail here. You can also stay up-to-date by liking us on Facebook or following us on Twitter.
RNZ News
an hour ago
- RNZ News
Marlborough teen was eating, drinking and using his phone before fatal tractor crash
Queen Charlotte Drive. Photo: Screenshot / Google Maps A teenager who died after crashing a tractor was eating, drinking and using his phone before the vehicle left the road. Trenton Karl Jones, 18, died from severe head and neck injuries after the tractor he was driving crashed through a barrier and rolled down a steep bank on Queen Charlotte Drive near Cullen's Point in the Marlborough Sounds on 21 October 2021. In findings released on Tuesday, Coroner Rachael Schmidt-McCleave said the 18-year-old's death was entirely preventable. But she did recommend Marlborough District Council should install a metal barrier at the site to prevent similar deaths in future. "Had [Jones] been fully focussed on driving the tractor, and had he not been distracted by eating, drinking and messaging on his phone, he is likely to have been able to take evasive action to avoid crashing down the bank, or to safely negotiate the curve in the first place," the coroner said. Jones grew up in Tapawera, south of Nelson, and moved to Linkwater in 2020 to work for Leslie Bros Contracting. Paul Leslie, one of the owners, said Jones showed up to work early every day and was a "good little fella", who was "good on machinery" and "great with numbers". The morning of his death, Jones and Leslie had travelled to Canvastown where a paddock needed ploughing. The tractor was on site and Leslie watched Jones do pre-start checks on the tractor before leaving him to complete the work with the understanding he would drive the tractor back to the business' premises in Linkwater once it was done. Later that morning, Jones was driving the tractor back to Linkwater on a winding section of Queen Charlotte Drive in Havelock, when he failed to negotiate a right-hand bend, crashed through a wooden barrier and rolled down a steep bank on the left-hand side of the road. At the time of the accident, it was sunny and the road was dry, well-marked and in fair condition. The tractor did not have any mechanical faults. Coroner Rachael Schmidt-McCleave. Photo: RNZ / Nate McKinnon An investigation by the Tasman Police Serious Crash Unit found remnants of an ice cream, sausage roll and coffee inside the overturned tractor, while analysis of Jones' phone data showed he had been using Snapchat while driving, though he had placed his phone back into his chest pocket before the crash. Jones was likely distracted by eating, drinking and messaging on Snapchat as he negotiated the bend in the road, causing the tractor to crash through the barrier and down the bank, Schmidt-McCleave said. The senior constable who oversaw the crash investigation said Jones had not been wearing his seatbelt and, if he had, he "more than likely would have survived". Schmidt-McCleave said given the injuries described in the post-mortem, she did not have enough evidence to reach that conclusion. The crash investigator also said the wooden sightline barrier was not sufficient to prevent the tractor from crashing through and had there been a metal or wire barrier at the curve in the road, it might have kept the tractor on the road and prevented the crash. He recommended Marlborough Roads should consider installing one. Marlborough District Council and the district's roading office, Marlborough Roads, advised the coroner it managed a roading network approximately 1500 kilometres long, much of it rural and mountainous, with around 250 sight rails in the region to delineate the road next to steep drop-offs. The council said it would be challenging to install a metal barrier at the site of the crash due to the steep terrain, as the deep anchoring required for barrier posts would be difficult. It deemed its current approach to road safety was adequate, including the use of sight rails, signage, line marking and appropriate speed management. Schmidt-McCleave recommended Marlborough District Council further consider installing a metal or wire rope barrier at the crash site and on similar bends on Queen Charlotte Drive, in order to reduce the chances of further deaths occurring in similar circumstances. The coroner also endorsed the Transport Agency's recommendations on driver distraction, which included encouraging motorists to turn their phone off when driving or using 'do not disturb' mode, and taking regular breaks rather than eating, drinking or smoking while driving. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
