He is to defend those charges at a judge-alone trial on February 4 next year.<\/p>\n
WiRepa has admitted earlier charges of possession of methamphetamine, possession of cannabis, burglary of a lamp from Skingraft Rotorua, shoplifting make-up worth $298.93 from New World and $75.76 of cosmetics from Chemist Warehouse, and breaching bail by failing to attend court.<\/p>\n
The drug charges stem from police raiding the Miss Rotorua Foundation premises on Pukuatua St, where WiRepa lived at the time, in December last year.<\/p>\n
Judge Louis Bidois earlier sentenced WiRepa to 160 hours\u2019 community work on the charges he pleaded guilty to.<\/p>\n
Judge Bidois declined to continue name suppression, but WiRepa, through his lawyer Douglas Hall, appealed that decision.<\/p>\n
The appeal was heard in the High Court on Wednesday this week.<\/p>\n
Justice Andrew Becroft said in his decision that it was wise for WiRepa not to continue the appeal, saying the high bar for name suppression \u2013 that is, extreme hardship to WiRepa personally and\/or the Miss Rotorua Foundation \u2013 was \u201csimply not made out\u201d.<\/p>\n
Rotorua fashion designer Kharl WiRepa in 2022. Photo \/ Andrew Warner<\/p>\n
The Rotorua Daily Post and the police opposed WiRepa\u2019s initial application for name suppression, and a hearing was set down for September.<\/p>\n
The police applied to bring the hearing forward, and the application was heard before Judge Bidois on July 25.<\/p>\n
In his decision, Judge Bidois said the history of the case this year \u201cdoes not reflect well on the justice system\u201d.<\/p>\n
He outlined several delays and adjournments, including the matter not being called one day because of a power cut and the court running out of time on another day.<\/p>\n
Judge Bidois said WiRepa was at the time involved in the Miss Rotorua Foundation and Ohomairangi Foundation, which were responsible for running the Miss Rotorua Beauty Pageant.<\/p>\n
Former Miss Rotorua Foundation owner Kharl WiRepa in 2023. Photo \/ File<\/p>\n
He said WiRepa was also heavily involved in the fashion design industry.<\/p>\n
He said the deception charges \u201capparently related to his role within the beauty and fashion design industries\u201d.<\/p>\n
Judge Bidois said the Miss Rotorua Foundation received public funding through the Rotorua Lakes Council and other sponsorship.<\/p>\n
WiRepa admitted to being the owner of the Miss Rotorua Foundation at the time.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere is, however, a public interest in knowing that the owner of a foundation which is receiving public ratepayer funding and public sponsorship has admitted dishonesty offending and faces other dishonesty offending relating to his involvement in the beauty and fashion design industries, which is the same industry in which the Miss Rotorua Foundation is involved,\u201d Judge Bidois\u2019 decision said.<\/p>\n
WiRepa has since forfeited his association with the foundation.<\/p>\n
Previous offending<\/p>\n
WiRepa was convicted of fraud<\/a> in 2017.<\/p>\n He was ordered to repay nearly $12,000 after pleading guilty to 14 charges of benefit fraud, totalling $11,844.16.<\/p>\n The charges related to a period between March 2013 and November 2015 when WiRepa, then a student at Waiariki Institute of Technology and Te Wananga o Aotearoa, applied for and received two allowances and an accommodation benefit he was not eligible for.<\/p>\n This included falsifying documents and obtaining documents by deception.<\/p>\n He was ordered to repay the total sum and was put on a \u201cgood behaviour bond\u201d whereby he would have to come up for sentence if called upon within a period of 12 months.<\/p>\n WiRepa, whose designs have been shown at international fashion weeks and in British Vogue<\/a>, starred in the two seasons of the reality television show Gowns and Geysers<\/a>, based on the drama, fashion and glamour of the Miss Rotorua pageant. <\/p>\n The shows aired on TVNZ+ and M\u0101ori Television.<\/p>\nKharl WiRepa appears in the Rotorua Distrist Court in 2017. Photo \/ File<\/p>\n
Kharl WiRepa starred in the reality TV series Gowns and Geysers. Photo \/ TVNZ<\/p>\n