Sir Ngatata Love found guilty of obtaining funds by deception

Former Treaty negotiator Sir Ngatata Love has been found guilty of obtaining significant sums by deception in the High Court fraud trial over his dealings with property developers while chairman of the Wellington Tenths Trust.

An alternate charge of receiving secret commissions didn't succeed and was not considered by the judge. The verdict was delivered by Justice Graham Lang after the month-long hearing in Wellington. The charges came from an investigation into a $1.5 million payment from a land developer into a trust controlled by Love's partner, Lorraine Skiffington, which was then used to repay a property loan on a Plimmerton house he and Skiffington co-owned. It was the first installment of what was intended to be a $3 million payment.

In a brief oral judgment delivered this morning before the distribution of the written judgment, Justice Lang said he was satisfied Sir Ngatata knew about all of the transactions including the lease agreement, the services agreement, and the house purchase, and he was instrumental in setting up the early transactions.

"Dr Love created an environment in which the developers believed he was acting with the knowledge and consent of the trustees," Justice Lang said. "That was clearly not correct given what transpired."

The judge said Sir Ngatata had failed to disclose information which he was duty bound to disclose to the trustees, namely the $3 million payment from the developers.

Love's QC Colin Carruthers asked the judge not to enter a conviction before sentencing, which the judge agreed to.

The verdict marks a fall from grace for the Wellington insider who was made a Principal Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit for his services to Maori in 2008, later upgraded to a knighthood, and who was able to call up high-profile character witnesses during the trial. He was said to be a close confidante of Helen Clark on Maori issues when she was prime minister.

Sir Ngatata had sheeted the blame home to Ms Skiffington, who he claimed had acted without his knowledge, and also blamed Shaan Stevens, a consultant who worked alongside Skiffington and Love.

Ms Skiffington was also charged but has been granted a permanent stay due to her ill health, while Sir Ngatata's son Matene Love had already pleaded guilty to accepting a secret commission.

Read the judgment here

(BusinessDesk)

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