Former MoT workers describe axing by Harrison

Two former transport ministry workers have described how they were forced out of the ministry after alerting other staff about Joanne Harrison’s fraudulent behaviour. The whistleblowers explained to RNZ how they informed senior managers about fake invoices and travel expenses and were then targeted in a restructure led by Harrison. Harrison was sentenced to three years and seven months in prison in February for stealing $723,000 from the Ministry of Transport. As well as the embezzled funds, Harrison secured a high-profile job for her husband at another government agency and got another job for a friend, who was on the ministry’s payroll for 10 months without doing any work. One employee first raised concerns in 2015 after receiving an invoice for Mazarine Associates. “We couldn't find anything about them - they had no website, there was no phone number or email address on the invoice,” the former staff member told RNZ. "I also raised questions about it in a team meeting about this invoice at the time, I said 'it's a very unprofessional invoice' and as it turned out this is one of the ones she used to embezzle a lot of money from the ministry." It later emerged that over $500,000 of funds was funnelled to Mazarine and a second consulting form, both of which never existed. The second employee also shared concerns about the fake invoices and informed then-CEO Martin Matthews about a trip Harrison took to the UK to attend conference, which had been cancelled. "I've got no doubt, in my own mind, but they've probably covered themselves - the way they do when they do restructures,” they said. "When we raised issues sometimes, we were told 'you're only here to pay the invoices, and if they're signed and approved that's all you have to worry about'.” The former staff members were then let go during December, the busiest time of year for the ministry’s finance division, and immediately replaced by a temp worker. Both employees are dissatisfied with the inquiry established by the Ministry of Transport CEO Peter Mersi, and have written to the State Services Commissioner Peter Hughes requesting an independent investigation.