The Country
  • The Country home
  • Latest news
  • Audio & podcasts
  • Opinion
  • Dairy farming
  • Sheep & beef farming
  • Rural business
  • Rural technology
  • Rural life
  • Listen on iHeart radio

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • Coast & Country News
  • Opinion
  • Dairy farming
  • Sheep & beef farming
  • Horticulture
  • Animal health
  • Rural business
  • Rural technology
  • Rural life

Media

  • Podcasts
  • Video

Weather

  • Kaitaia
  • Whāngarei
  • Dargaville
  • Auckland
  • Thames
  • Tauranga
  • Hamilton
  • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua
  • Tokoroa
  • Te Kuiti
  • Taumurunui
  • Taupō
  • Gisborne
  • New Plymouth
  • Napier
  • Hastings
  • Dannevirke
  • Whanganui
  • Palmerston North
  • Levin
  • Paraparaumu
  • Masterton
  • Wellington
  • Motueka
  • Nelson
  • Blenheim
  • Westport
  • Reefton
  • Kaikōura
  • Greymouth
  • Hokitika
  • Christchurch
  • Ashburton
  • Timaru
  • Wānaka
  • Oamaru
  • Queenstown
  • Dunedin
  • Gore
  • Invercargill

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / The Country / Dairy

Powdergate defendant admits guilt

By Malcolm Burgess and NZPA
7 May, 2007 05:00 PM2 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

KEY POINTS:

The last defendant in the multimillion-dollar Powdergate fraud inquiry has admitted his involvement in the scandal.

Sean Robert Miller, one of seven men charged over their part in the illegal export of millions of dollars of dairy products between 1997 and 2001, has pleaded guilty to six charges,
after having denied his involvement in the scam until just last week.

With his trial due to have begun yesterday, he changed his plea to guilty last Thursday after seeking a sentence indication in the Auckland District Court.

The six charges under the Customs Act relate to being an accessory to presenting false documents, which were used to send milk products overseas when the monopoly on exports was held by the New Zealand Dairy Board, which merged with Kiwi Co-operative Dairies and the New Zealand Dairy Group to become Fonterra in 2001.

After the Serious Fraud Office downgraded the original charges of conspiracy to defraud to producing false customs documents, Miller's co-accused - Paul Marra, Malcolm McCowan, Terence Walter, William Cottee, Stephen Wackrow, and William Winchester - admitted the charges in May 2006, and were fined $58,500 in total.

Miller, a former Kiwi executive, lost an application for charges against him to be discharged in February, and a 10-day trial was scheduled for May. Miller will now be sentenced this Thursday at Auckland District Court.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Save

    Share this article

Latest from Dairy

The Country

Canada agrees to $157m dairy deal after NZ trade dispute

The Country

Why experts predict butter prices will keep increasing

The Country

Food stats shock: Prices soar as fruit and veges follow butter spike


Sponsored

Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from Dairy

Canada agrees to $157m dairy deal after NZ trade dispute
The Country

Canada agrees to $157m dairy deal after NZ trade dispute

Canada will allow NZ dairy access after a lengthy trade dispute.

17 Jul 10:51 PM
Why experts predict butter prices will keep increasing
The Country

Why experts predict butter prices will keep increasing

17 Jul 05:00 PM
Food stats shock: Prices soar as fruit and veges follow butter spike
The Country

Food stats shock: Prices soar as fruit and veges follow butter spike

16 Jul 11:24 PM


Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky
Sponsored

Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky

06 Jul 09:47 PM
NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • NZ Herald e-editions
  • Daily puzzles & quizzes
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Subscribe to the NZ Herald newspaper
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • NZME Events
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP