Former radio manager's compensation cut by 75 per cent

Rosina Hauiti was hired as the general manager for Te Reo Irirangi o Nga Raukawa Trust. Photo / John Van De Ven

A former radio general manager who served trespass notices against the company's trustees and posted a damning press release on the station's Facebook page has been awarded compensation.

But the Employment Relations Authority found that her behaviour contributed to the situation, and reduced the amount by 75 per cent.

Rosina Hauiti was hired as the general manager for Te Reo Irirangi o Nga Raukawa Trust, trading as Raukawa FM, in April 2013, the authority said in a recent decision.

In the five months following her appointment, four grievances were raised against her by three staff members and a woman who believed she had been offered a job by Ms Hauiti, but was later told that was not the case.

In September Ms Hauiti attended a meeting with the trustees about the complaints, which became heated.

Later that month, she issued trespass notices against three of the company's four trustees, Robert Wehipeihana, Colin Heke and Marion Tanoa.

She then posted a notice on the radio station's Facebook page alleging misappropriation of funds by a former manager that the station was reluctant to look into because of nepotism, the authority's decision said.

An independent investigation found no misappropriation.

When Mr Heke and Mr Wehipeihana and their lawyers tried to speak with Ms Hauiti at the station, she locked herself in a room and went on the station's Facebook page to ask for help, the decision said.

She refused to leave until police were called.

She was then suspended on pay for a month, before payment was stopped. Ms Hauiti was unable to attend a disciplinary hearing because of poor health but a note from the company's lawyer said there did not seem to be any point in obtaining Ms Hauiti's view on the proposal to dismiss her. She was fired on December 4.

Authority member Tania Tetitaha said the suspension was justified given Ms Hauiti's "bizarre behaviour".

However, the decision by Mr Heke to suspend Ms Hauiti without pay was a breach of her contract.

Ms Hauiti told the authority the decision to issue trespass notices was not taken lightly and she believed staff were spying on her for the trustees.

She also said she posted the press release because she believed no one was listening to her and her circumstances had become unbearable.

"She accepted her health issues may have impacted upon her decision-making, but overall she believed her decisions to broadcast and issue the trespass notices were done in good faith," Ms Tetitaha said.

There was no evidence the company had given Ms Hauiti the opportunity to remedy any performance problems, or that any performance reviews had been undertaken, she said.

Concerns about Ms Hauiti were properly raised by the company, but she was not given a reasonable opportunity to respond before she was sacked, she said.

She ordered Ms Hauiti be paid six weeks wages of $8076.92 and compensation of $1250 for hurt and humiliation.

Ms Hauiti said today the authority process was difficult because she was not permitted to enter in evidence regarding the "legal status" of some of the trustees.

"I have no regrets whatsoever about making the broadcast [that was posted on the Facebook site]."

She said she trespassed the trustees "because they had no entitlement to be trustees".

"They were an impediment to the operation of the radio station."