Nerine

I'm not surprised to hear any of this Avid. The fact that your information has been greeted with the usual Kiwi shrug suggests to me that fraud is accepted as a fact of life.

And, as you say, if it's not acknowledged it will never appear in any statistical data.

A well known organisation I know of has a simple way to prevent any legal action being taken against them: they employ the best QCs (no doubt ex-school chums) stuff truck loads of cash into their pockets and tie the other side up in legal argument so costly that they can't afford to continue. Guess the SFO works to a budget too, they'll want to win the cases they can afford to fight.

Have TVNZ said if they are willing to go public? can you go to the international press?.

Avid

I've been told (off the record) that the people I'm up against have the money to buy the best lawyers and they will make sure that the case drags on for at least 10 years or more. I'll be ground down either by the length of time or the legal fees. I've also been told that if I represent myself or try to get a 'no-win, no-fee' lawyer (technically illegal in NZ, but some do it secretly) then the courts will throw the book at me as they don't like people getting above their station.

Again, if the courts are blatantly against the 'little man' then it's no wonder that corruption doesn't exist.

Also, whilst the story is big for NZ I doubt it's big enough for outside newspapers...not yet, anyway..

Nerine

I could almost believe we are talking about the same company, except for the fact that the one I know is based in Auckland.

Their tactics are identical and no one has the financial clout to take them on. They even have tame newspaper reporters writing for them and making sure that bad news never sees the light of day, hence the reason for suggesting going outside the country.

Avid

Well, I've been in NZ for almost a year now and have to agree that the newspapers seem to maintain the status quo. I get the sense that the NZ media exists to lend support to the powers that be, and not to challenge them.....except in cases where the people in power have become so corrupt that they have to be exposed, especially if they aren't white.

I should say that I don't think this is unique to New Zealand. Almost every country has a media that is cosy with money and power but NZ is perhaps a little unusual in that its people still fantasize that they are somehow different and that they live in some kind of corruption-free paradise. Some people still think that New Zealand is an honorary part of the UK...but in reality it is the two largest islands in the Pacific, an area on the edge of the map with a sign saying 'here be monsters'....

I should also say that I am not really bashing New Zealand. I'm lucky in that I can pretty much choose to live anywhere (if they'll have me) and have decided on New Zealand. The fact I choose to live here should say more about my feelings towards this country than any 'negative' comments I make. There's a lot to love about New Zealand but I feel that the 'average' person in the street has been sold short by the people in power. The fact that the people who could change this are too scared to do anything is rather sad. But 'fear and/or laziness to change things' = 'no corruption', it seems.