An online fundraiser has garnered enough donations to cover a court fine imposed on the Far North woman dubbed the Tooth Fairy of Kaikohe.
Claire Wihongi-Matene made and repaired dentures at cut-price costs for those who lived in the poor community but did so without a licence, against the law.
The Tautoro resident was charged with claiming to be a health practitioner, as well as six charges of performing a restricted activity, and was fined $7000 at her sentencing in the Kaikohe District Court in December. An additional $3000 in reparations and about $1000 in court costs were also imposed.
Judge Deirdre Orchard said at the time that the fines would have been higher for the “moderately serious” offending if Wihongi-Matene had any ability to pay.
Wihongi-Matene, who had years of experience working on dentures but no formal health qualification, said she broke the law to help a community that was short on money and high in need of dental services.
And it appears her supporters are repaying the favour by raising enough money through a Givealittle page, started by long-time friend and former customer Erina Williams, to cover her court fine.
Within six weeks, $11,382 of a $15,000 overall goal had been raised via the page, “The Tooth Fairy needs your help!”.
Williams was moved to start the fundraiser after a friend texted her asking whether she knew of Wihongi-Matene because she wanted to give her some money after reading about her court sentencing.
She had been shocked to learn of the fate of her high school friend and the woman who had assisted her with her own dental needs.
“With each child I’ve lost a tooth. Two of my front teeth are missing and I’ve also chipped a tooth as well in an accident,” Williams said.
Her dental situation hampered her job as a singer.
“Claire actually fixed it a couple of times for me, really affordably. I was able to go to Kaikohe at the time because I lived in Rāwene rather than have to make the long trip to Whangārei,” Williams said.
“Back then I was a solo mum, it was a really big help.”
On the Givealittle page, Williams called Wihongi-Matene an everyday hero to many.
In court, 36 letters had supported the Tooth Fairy’s actions and only one victim impact statement said otherwise. The judge said it was accepted Wihongi-Matene had a high level of backing from her community.
Despite Wihongi-Matene’s known backers, Williams had still been blown away by the show of support. One person donated $7000.
“It shows the value of her service, I think, and how much people appreciated it ... skills like that should be encouraged and supported and helped instead of fining her,” she said.
As for donations being used to pay for court-imposed fines, Ministry of Justice chief operating officer Carl Crafar said people were not required to tell the court where the money has come from when paying.
“It is not for the ministry or the court to comment on whether or not it is appropriate for an individual to fundraise in order to pay their fines. However, there is nothing limiting an individual from seeking assistance from friends or whānau in order to resolve their fines.
“Third parties can assist with paying someone else’s fine in full or make a payment arrangement if they have the individual’s permission to do so.”
Because the court’s fines collection system does not record whether a payment was funded through fundraising campaigns, the ministry could not comment on how unusual it may be.
Wihongi-Matene did not respond to the Advocate’s request for an interview.