The woman has at least 11 convictions for fraud. Photo / NZH
The woman has at least 11 convictions for fraud. Photo / NZH
A convicted fraudster has been working at an Auckland school, prompting a formal complaint by a member of the public and an investigation by the Board of Trustees.
The Herald has learned the woman was employed at the school for some time and left late last year.
She has at least 11 convictions of fraud after she admitted a raft of charges in 2007.
NZME reported that she stole the identities of friends and family members to take out multiple loans.
Her ruse was up when a finance company contacted a victim to alert her to a late payment relating to a loan she didn’t know had been taken in her name.
The complaint raised concerns about the school’s vetting process.
It alleged young people were put “at risk” by being exposed to the woman and their “care and safety” was “completely disregarded” by the school.
The person who made the complaint asked the school to “urgently” investigate, saying they understood “convictions for drugs and fraud are a no-go in the education sector”.
The head of the school’s Board of Trustees confirmed one complaint had been received in December but it had not been actioned as it was sent to his personal email address and “inadvertently missed”.
“This will now be actioned immediately according to board policies,” he told the Herald.
He said the former staffer worked in an “alternative education” capacity and had not been appointed by the school’s current principal.
“We have sought advice to be as transparent as possible but as you will know there is very limited information we can provide about a staff member - or former staff member - as this is required to be confidential.
“However, I can confirm that our school takes seriously its responsibilities around police vetting and having robust appointment processes.
“We ensure that police vetting is undertaken in accordance with legislation - the Education and Training Act and the Children’s Act - and Ministry of Education guidelines.
“If we have any doubt, we seek advice to ensure that appointments are appropriate to the setting - in this case alternative education - and in line with the legislation and guidelines.”
The woman hired by the school has convictions for using her friends and family's identities to take out loans.
The school could not say when the woman was hired and if she disclosed her conviction.
Because her conviction was more than seven years ago it is possible the woman did not have to disclose it.
But even if she did not have to share the information with the school she still would have had to undergo the police vetting process.
The complaint alleged that the woman was “never police vetted properly to gain employment in education and was employed through relations”.
“Had the proper protocols been taken evidence [of her] previous criminal convictions… would’ve been known,” it said.
The BOT head rejected the notion that the woman was hired as any kind of favour.
“We are unaware of any relationship - familial or otherwise - that might have influenced this appointment,” he said.
“The [current] principal was not principal at the time of appointment and is not related to this person.”
He assured that any concern that is raised with the principal or the board was taken seriously.
“Where matters are sensitive, complex, multi-faceted or serious, we work very hard to gather all the facts and information and seek advice and guidance to make considered and appropriate decisions,” he explained.
