He worked on the front desk, then controlled the accounts before following his Rotorua boss, Greg McManus, to Northland in 2012 to work for the Waitangi Trust, where McManus was chief executive.
The trust looks after the Treaty of Waitangi grounds.
McManus told the Rotorua Daily Post in 2018 after Te Ahuru pleaded guilty he had known him for 14 years and had no reason not to trust him. He described the offending as "devastating".
Te Ahuru became eligible for parole on November 24 last year after completing one-third of his sentence, but was declined. His statutory release date was May 3, 2022.
After the latest hearing, parole board panel convenor Neville Trendle said in a written report the board had requested a further assessment as to the availability of prison-based rehabilitation given the nature and scale of Te Ahuru's offending and the high degree of premeditation that accompanied it over a 15-month period.
That issue had been reviewed by the prison and the principal psychologist reassessed the case, determining Te Ahuru was not eligible to participate in either the Medium Intensity Rehabilitation Programme or the Short Rehabilitation Programme.
It was noted he had earlier completed the Short Motivational Programme.
However, Trendle said after the parole board spoke with Te Ahuru it was evident he had "developed an acceptable level of insight into his offending".
"He is clear that his actions were totally unjustified — he used the word "egregious" — and he knew they were wrong. He said that at the time he had a sense of entitlement and was somewhat disenchanted with the recognition he was receiving for the level of work he was undertaking.
"He became overwhelmed. More importantly, he did not confront other issues that were going on in his life. His values shifted as a result of these matters. He told us that relinquishing his role and travelling to Australia was his way of discontinuing his offending."
Te Ahuru told the parole board he was deeply ashamed of his actions and he hoped that by returning to New Zealand to deal with the charges and by his prompt plea of guilty that he had demonstrated his contrition and remorse.
His time in jail had given him the opportunity to reassess his life.
"Having regard to the support available to him in the community, to his safety plan which we have reviewed, and to the personal progress he has made since he came to prison, the board is satisfied that on the basis of his compliance with release conditions he would not pose an undue risk to the safety of others," Trendle said.
For a period of 18 months he would be subject to standard conditions and the special conditions principally focused on constraints around the work he can undertake.
Te Ahuru can not be involved in the handling of money, provision of advice or management of the financial accounts or transactions of any person or entity, unless he has the prior written approval of a probation officer.
He can not engage in any employment or have any role in the affairs of any business, trust, company or other entity without approval of a probation officer.
In the years leading up his arrest Te Ahuru used his social media accounts to portray a luxurious lifestyle. On Facebook he called himself Wallace the Tory, and posted pictures of himself with a $130,000 BMW and fine wines, playing croquet, and dining with former Prime Minister Sir John Key.
In a previous statement, Serious Fraud Office director Julie Read has said: "Mr Te Ahuru deceived the custodian of one of the most historically significant places in New Zealand. His offending has caused reputational damage to the Waitangi National Trust which is the recipient of government grants and private donations."
McManus told the Rotorua the Rotorua Daily Post Te Ahuru was known to trade in "futures", an online investing scheme between buyers and sellers, and people believed he was making a lot of money from it, hence his extravagant lifestyle.
He gave the trust a year's notice and left in October 2017 with staff giving him a big farewell party, McManus said.
His offending was picked up when the trust employed someone else and the discrepancies in the accounts came to light.
