Judge tells industry to step up on environment education
In a controversial Waikato case, a judge has told the dairy industry to step up in on educating farmers about environmental responsibilities including disturbing stream beds.
At the Hamilton District Court last week Jennifer Ann Taylor admitted false accounting, seven charges of theft by a person in a special relationship and 14 charges of dishonestly using a document.
Her offending included writing cheques on the association’s account for her wedding catering, home renovations and spending thousands of dollars on the organisation’s credit card. Taylor also paid dental bills and school and sporting fees.
Taylor was dismissed from her job last year. At the time she was earning $91,000 a year and had a company car. She had worked for the association since 1993.
According to police, the former administration manager, promoted to general manager in 2008, was a trusted employee who had virtual autonomy in running the business. However, in March last year, gaps in Taylor’s cover began to emerge. Her refusal to provide account information resulted in the resignation of the association’s auditors and sparked an investigation.
Police discovered Taylor had been direct crediting her personal bank account with association funds, payments she disguised as being for suppliers or other companies. It also emerged she had been depositing funds in her personal bank account using the association’s cheques, which she had signed. The cheques were required to have two signatories before being processed.
The association, which has about 500 members and a turnover of about $500,000, initiated disciplinary proceedings against Taylor during which she admitted ‘borrowing’ $44,000.
She directed in total $204,000 of her employer’s money on 232 occasions to her own accounts and wrote $41,700 of association cheques for personal expenses. The amount misappropriated on the credit card was at least $66,500. Police believe she has enough equity in two residential properties to make substantial reparation to the association.
Taylor will be sentenced in June after a restorative justice process.
About Jersey NZ
- Jersey New Zealand is a non-profit breed organisation.
- The association aims to support Jersey breeders in New Zealand.
- The organisation has its own Herd Book and is responsible for the registration of members’ animals.
- The Head office for Jersey New Zealand is in Hamilton
