Convicted fraudster Merepeka Raukawa-Tait is supporting self-confessed fraudster Metira Turei:
You won’t see me putting the boot into Metiria Turei, co-leader of the Green Party.
Last week she made public that, 24 years ago, as a young solo mother she didn’t disclose to Winz she lived with flatmates. That would have affected her benefit.
We have seen and heard the usual indignation from many good citizens disgusted with Metiria.
Apart from the clamour that she should repay the overpayments there is even the call for her to resign from Parliament. It’s a real hanging offence to some people.
My advice to Metiria is not to give too much time to public reaction. We pick and choose what we want to get on our high horse about. I know many beneficiaries who have done the same. They don’t see it as fraud merely survival.
Merepeka Raukawa-Tait (previously Sims) deducted PAYE from her employees but did not pay it to IRD. She was stealing from her employees and defrauding IRD. She did it because ‘she needed the money’.
To this day, like Metira, she has no remorse at all. She needed it, thus she was justified.
This case was well known in Rotorua at the time and hasn’t been forgotten in spite of Merepeka changing her name, and reinventing herself.
Wellington mayoral hopeful Merepeka Raukawa-Tait has past convictions for failing to pay employees’ taxes.
The Women’s Refuge chief executive, under her previous name Merepeka Sims, pleaded not guilty to 12 charges totalling $12,466 in Rotorua District Court in 1993.
She was convicted and sentenced to community service.
Mrs Raukawa-Tait announced last month she was standing for the Wellington mayoralty. She planned to submit her nomination yesterday, saying the convictions were in the past and should not affect her ability as mayor.
She told The Evening Post that the tax matter, which related to two previous businesses in Rotorua, was “well and truly in the past”.
“I think that most people that have ever gone into business have had dealings with the Inland Revenue Department … If anyone wants to ask me about it then they’re more than welcome to ring me up about it,” she said.
“That was at a time when I was attempting to grow a business. It didn’t work out well … I was lucky to come out of it and I’ve learned from it.”
Mrs Raukawa-Tait said she later paid the tax .
Just another entitled Maori bludger supporting another entitled Maori bludger.
It just beggars belief how these people who are liars and cheats, get themselves into public positions of power and influence.
Takes a fraudster to know and admire another fraudster.
-Daily Post, NZ Herald