Principal faces 64 fraud counts

Martin Elliott is alleged to have bought pizza and tyres with school cash. Photo / Greg Bowker

A former high-profile principal allegedly spent thousands of dollars of his school's money on wine, pizza, shoes, home improvements, tyres for his wife's car and stays in a luxury Mt Maunganui apartment.

Martin Elliott, 58, former head of Hamilton's Fraser High School and a former Hamilton mayoral candidate, faces 64 fraud charges related to his time at the school. He entered no plea when he appeared in the Hamilton District Court this week.

Elliott's lawyer, Mark Hammond, said the charges would be defended.

Another former school employee, Jim Branton, 60, also faces six charges relating to his handling of some of Elliott's invoices.

Branton, Fraser High's former executive officer, helped blow the whistle on Elliott's alleged spending of school funds. He too entered no plea. Both men are due to reappear on December 7.

Elliott resigned as principal of Fraser High a year ago, following a damning report into the school's finances. But he has always maintained he has done no wrong.

He now lives in the Bay of Plenty where he has been working as an education consultant.

It is understood there are questions over more than $50,000 worth of public money. Thousands of dollars relate to money spent on improvements to two properties in the Waikato and in Papamoa, in the Bay of Plenty, which were owned by Elliott and a family member. Invoices purporting to be for work done on the school's Astroturf project were allegedly for work done on the Waikato property.

Elliott allegedly used taxpayers' money to stay weekends and school holidays in the Beaumont Luxury Apartments in Mount Maunganui and spent up in Australia during school holidays. One charge alleges $825 worth of new tyres were fitted to the car of Elliott's wife, Viv, paid from a discretionary account authorised by Elliott.

Other money went to Five Crossroads Mowers and Cycles on two bicycles and an amount was spent at a high-fashion women's footwear store.

Elliott allegedly paid for medical bills, bought wine and pizzas and paid for petrol with school money.

One charge relates to a memo from Elliott to Branton, on a Fraser High School letterhead, asking "How do we hide these payments?"

Also under question are $18,000 in additional salary payments to Elliott from the Little Feet Creche on the school grounds.