Wife of senior policeman stole from bank accounts

The wife of a prominent policeman and Rotorua businessman has been convicted in relation to the theft of almost $24,000 from the bank she worked at.

Kim Tania Haumaha, wife of Inspector Wally Haumaha, the national Maori strategic adviser in the Police Commissioner's Office, was sentenced to 150 hours' community work when she appeared in the Rotorua District Court yesterday.

Mr Haumaha, who was associated with New Zealand First in Rotorua before the recent election, was in court to support his 39-year-old wife, as were about 50 friends, family and other prominent figures in local Maoridom.

She had admitted one charge of accessing a computer system for a dishonest purpose after she was found to have transferred money from accounts at the Westpac branch where she worked as a customer service officer into a joint account belonging to her and her husband.

The charge carries a maximum penalty of seven years' imprisonment.

Haumaha had interim name suppression after her guilty plea but it expired yesterday, allowing her identity to be revealed.

The police summary of facts said she made seven electronic transfers totalling $23,959.61 from dormant accounts into her account on two days in June. Haumaha was "extremely remorseful for her action, which she attributed to a gambling problem", it said.

She admitted carrying out the transactions after they were discovered by the branch manager, and she was dismissed.

All the money was repaid to Westpac.

The defendant sobbed for most of yesterday's proceedings, which began with a karakia and waiata by her supporters and were presided over by Judge Paul Geoghegan.

Mr Haumaha sat holding his wife's hand and was also crying as submissions were made on her behalf by Rotorua district councillor Charles Sturt, Maori lawyer and activist Annette Sykes and Sir Howard Morrison's daughter Donna Grant.

Among people in the public gallery was the Deputy Mayor of Rotorua, Trevor Maxwell.

Judge Geoghegan acknowledged the defendant's supporters and their submissions.

"Their presence and their words speak volumes for you as a person and for your family," he said.

Apart from the theft, he believed Haumaha to be a person of "extremely good character".

But the case involved a serious criminal offence and a considerable breach of trust as an employee.

"There was a degree of planning and premeditation ... although I accept that the root cause behind that was your gambling," he said.

Defence lawyer Mark Milroy had requested a discharge without conviction.

But Judge Geoghegan accepted that there were a number of aggravating features as identified by the Crown, represented by Amanda Gordon.