A Hawke's Bay family orchard and packhouse company has lost an estimated $300,000 as the result of a series of fruit and vegetable thefts by a female employee who had worked for the company since leaving school 15 years ago.
Teokotai Mokotupu, 32, of Flaxmere, has admitted a charge of
theft by a person required to account, between January 12, 2010, and May 9 this year.
She was the logistics manager for Moffett Orchards, of Korokipo Rd, Fernhill, where she had been a trusted employee along with her mother, who had been working for the company for about 20 years.
Both have lost their jobs as a result of the thefts which stunned the Moffett family, as the first doubts arose and then as the extent of the rort was discovered.
Joe Moffett, who with two brothers runs the business which was started by father and former Irish rugby international Johnathon Moffett 38 years ago, said the first questions were raised when they were unable to explain "fruit in the market that shouldn't have been there".
