Mr Fellowes put the allegations to his herd manager in a letter. But when a meeting was called, Mr Morunga began shouting and swearing, prompting Mr Fellowes' partner to call police, who issued him with a trespass notice, according to the ERA finding.
Mr Morunga denied the allegations, saying they were false and did not happen.
He also complained that his co-worker's children had been overheard talking on the school bus that he had been "fired for hurting animals".
Mr Morunga was later dismissed from his position.
He then laid a complaint with the Employment Relations Authority.
It found that the alleged offences did take place but there were procedural flaws with the way his dismissal had been handled and he was therefore unjustifiably sacked.
Waterford Holdings was ordered to pay Mr Morunga $5325 in lost wages and $2500 in compensation.
Mr Fellowes said today he was pleased the ERA found the allegations of animal cruelty had most likely taken place, but "upset" by the overall decision.
"It was just disappointing that even with an employment lawyer you can still get it wrong," he said.
He was considering an appeal.
"Getting paid to beat up a cow doesn't seem right to me."
Comment was being sought from Mr Morunga.
