Alpine Medical Hardware director William MacKenzie gets home detention for bribing public official

The Auckland District Health Board shelled out millions in contracts to medical equipment company Alpine. Photo / NZME

The director and shareholder of medical equipment company Alpine Medical Hardware Limited has been sentenced to community detention for bribing a former Auckland District Health Board manager for contracts.

William MacKenzie was sentenced to four months’ community detention after pleading guilty in the Auckland District Court to making payments to the senior health board manager to secure contracts to supply medical equipment.

The Serious Fraud Office (SFO) said that between September 2008 and October 2015, MacKenzie arranged for Alpine to make 28 payments totalling $170,214.95 to the manager.

His relationship with the senior Auckland District Health Board (ADHB) manager, who was responsible for placing many orders with MacKenzie’s company, was not disclosed.

The payments were made as inducements or rewards for the manager to act in Alpine’s favour – including placing orders with the company and approving its invoices.

These payments were never disclosed to ADHB, despite the manager being under a legal and contractual obligation to do so.

The SFO’s investigation found that between January 2001 and June 2007, ADHB paid Alpine about $52,000 a year.

After the senior manager started working at ADHB in 2007, the health board paid Alpine about $400,000 a year until 2016.

Karen Chang, SFO director, said corruption involving public officials undermines trust in government and distorts fair decision-making.

“In this case, public funds intended to support patient care were compromised by an undisclosed financial relationship,” Chang said.

“The SFO is particularly focused on addressing corruption risks that impact health and safety, where such conduct can undermine fair procurement processes and erode public confidence in the integrity of essential services.”

The former ADHB manager has pleaded not guilty to fraud and corruption charges and is awaiting a four-week trial beginning on August 10, 2026.

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