As it was engulfed in turmoil behind the scenes amid staff personal grievances and breaches\u00a0of its government-funded\u00a0contracts, Dunedin health organisation Te\u00a0K\u0101ika\u00a0was also fighting to hide the identity of\u00a0one of its senior health workers who was before the courts on serious charges. Rob Kidd\u00a0reports.<\/p>\n
In March 2024,\u00a0Te K\u0101ika\u00a0entered crisis mode after manager of social practice 40-year-old Rema Smith was hauled before the court on serious domestic-violence charges. \u00a0<\/p>\n
The charges stemmed from a relationship he had started with a Te K\u0101ika co-worker 15 years his junior.<\/p>\n
The court heard about his obsessive \u201cstalking-type behaviour\u201d and how he had turned up at the victim\u2019s home with two patched gang members who were driving his work vehicle.<\/p>\n
Te K\u0101ika chief executive Matt Matahaere fought to keep Smith\u2019s name suppressed – until a judge asked him to front up in court.<\/p>\n
Mr Matahaere later gave Smith a glowing reference and told a subsequent employer the senior manager had been \u2018\u2018groomed\u2019\u2019 to be a future Te K\u0101ika chief executive.<\/p>\n
Rose*, who has since been diagnosed with PTSD, was disgusted Smith\u2019s reputation appeared unscathed since the domestic-violence ordeal he inflicted upon her.<\/p>\n
She saw it as an extension of the manipulation she endured at his hands.<\/p>\n
\u201cI feel like my story won\u2019t be believed because of Rema\u2019s reputation as a social worker and his somehow continued glowing references from his employers.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy ongoing trauma has been compounded by organisations who continued to employ and support Rema throughout this case despite knowing what he\u2019d done to me,\u201d Rose said.<\/p>\n
When she first met Smith, she recalled being impressed with his openness and the way he could get on with anyone.<\/p>\n
\u2018\u2018He seemed very charismatic, super switched on, smart, generous, charitable, take the shirt off his back for anyone,\u2019\u2019 she said.<\/p>\n
But there was another side of him that soon emerged.<\/p>\n
Rose recalled him losing his temper over something innocuous while they were socialising one night.<\/p>\n
\u2018\u2018He followed me up the street, screaming. He just was losing it. It was not normal,\u2019\u2019 she said.<\/p>\n
\u2018\u2018He was punching concrete walls with both hands.\u2019\u2019<\/p>\n
Smith apologised, they reconciled, but then towards the end of 2023, in a chance encounter Rose bumped into his long-term partner.<\/p>\n
He had never said he was in a relationship with someone else.<\/p>\n
An Oranga Tamariki (OT) staff member is believed to have earlier flagged issues regarding Smith\u2019s behaviour, which resulted in an incident at a child\u2019s birthday party.<\/p>\n
A source who attended the event described Smith \u2018\u2018full on going at [the other man]\u2019\u2019 as parents looked on.<\/p>\n
She said the OT worker and his family were \u2018\u2018smuggled out\u2019\u2019 when Smith refused to leave.<\/p>\n
In February 2024, the man\u2019s obsession ramped up.<\/p>\n
Rose had agreed to support him in seeking professional help but any romantic connection was out of the question.<\/p>\n
\u2018\u2018He was just bombing my phone,\u2019\u2019 she said.<\/p>\n
\u2018\u2018He was really upset and angry by that.\u2019\u2019<\/p>\n
Smith had claimed he would make the long drive to her family home to see her.<\/p>\n
The\u00a0Otago Daily Times\u00a0has viewed a cellphone log from the day showing more than 70 calls from him to Rose and a barrage of messages, warning he was on his way as she pleaded with him not to.<\/p>\n
When he arrived, he screamed at her and made explicit threats of self-harm (having earlier sent her a copy of his will) during a protracted standoff, she said.<\/p>\n
Police became involved but no charges were laid at that stage.<\/p>\n
In court documents filed later, Mr Matahaere said Smith was placed on leave at the time and given access to a psychologist and counsellor.<\/p>\n
Smith\u2019s superiors had gone out on a limb to support him in the past, but to every question asked by the\u00a0ODT\u00a0they appeared to distance themselves from any connection.<\/p>\n
\u2018\u2018Mr Smith has not been employed by Te K\u0101ika for at least 18 months, and we have no interaction with him so will not be commenting further,\u2019\u2019 Ms Matahaere-Atariki said.<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
WHEN Rose came back to Dunedin to study, in March 2024, Smith redoubled his efforts to win her over.<\/p>\n
Just days after the move, he turned up at her home unannounced, explaining he had driven every road in the suburb until he found her car.<\/p>\n
\u2018\u2018Terrified\u2019\u2019, Rose asked Smith to leave her alone.<\/p>\n
It made no difference.<\/p>\n
Two days later, the senior social worker was back at the address.<\/p>\n
He stood at the end of the woman\u2019s driveway with an associate and told her he had four carloads of people nearby ready to \u2018\u2018roll the house\u2019\u2019.<\/p>\n
When they eventually left, Rose and a female flatmate fled, and she called police fearing Smith would follow through on his threat.<\/p>\n
Over the course of the evening he called her nearly 100 times, messaged constantly, begging to see her, professing his love.<\/p>\n
\u2018\u2018Please my baby,\u2019\u2019 Smith repeated.<\/p>\n
His messages later took on a more menacing tone.<\/p>\n
\u2018\u2018We almost there … It\u2019s over for them,\u2019\u2019 he wrote.<\/p>\n
\u2018\u2018F… you then.\u2019\u2019<\/p>\n
The flatmates\u2019 drastic actions were vindicated when, just several hours after the initial visit, he turned up with several men and began banging on the doors and windows of the home.<\/p>\n
Smith entered the property through a kitchen window and took Rose\u2019s car keys from her bedroom.<\/p>\n
A message he sent her at 3.51am – one of 35 consecutive texts that went unanswered \u2014 showed a photo of her car\u2019s dashboard, the speedometer touching 120kmh.<\/p>\n
Rose went back to the flat the following morning to pack up the rest of her possessions and was preparing to leave in an Uber when he turned up in her car.<\/p>\n
\u2018\u2018The defendant was accompanied by two patched gang members who were driving the defendant\u2019s work vehicle following behind him,\u2019\u2019 court documents said.<\/p>\n
As Rose went to use her phone to call for help, Smith \u2018\u2018launched himself\u2019\u2019 at her, wrapping himself around her arms and torso.<\/p>\n
It was only when she got into her vehicle that she managed to alert a friend to her situation, who in turn called the police.<\/p>\n
But before officers arrived, Smith sat beside her slamming his head into the dashboard, hitting himself in the face with a bottle, screaming at her to drive, attempting to get into the driver\u2019s seat.<\/p>\n
Police only found him 48 hours later in South Dunedin.<\/p>\n
When Smith saw them arrive, he climbed on to the roof of Southern Rugby Club – a team he previously played for.<\/p>\n
Officers found his phone in the guttering of the building but he refused to provide its PIN.<\/p>\n
WHEN Smith appeared in court, he was represented by top criminal barrister Philip Shamy.<\/p>\n
Two months later, the lawyer would be named a King\u2019s Counsel, an honorary title reserved for only the upper echelon of lawyers.<\/p>\n
Several sources have told the\u00a0ODT\u00a0Smith\u2019s legal fees were initially paid by Te K\u0101ika on the basis he would repay the debt.<\/p>\n
When asked whether this was ethical considering Te K\u0101ika held contracts that involved supporting the victims of domestic violence and the fact the victim was a former staff member, there was the same refusal to comment.<\/p>\n
Regardless, Te K\u0101ika was keen to avoid public association with Smith.<\/p>\n
On April 4, Mr Shamy filed submissions with the court seeking suppression of the defendant\u2019s name on the basis that publication would cause \u2018\u2018undue hardship\u2019\u2019 to Te K\u0101ika.<\/p>\n
In an affidavit sworn four days earlier, Mr Matahaere said any adverse publicity for the charity would be \u2018\u2018difficult to quantify\u2019\u2019.<\/p>\n
\u2018\u2018Te K\u0101ika is a values-based and driven organisation that is focused on strengthening whanau and contributing to the wellbeing of our communities,\u2019\u2019 he wrote.<\/p>\n
\u2018\u2018The social licence we must operate with in our communities has been severely compromised through the behaviour and unwellness of a senior team member. The extreme hardship experienced to a one-in-one-hundred-year opportunity for Ngai Tahu to work in partnership with other government agencies to support our communities is not to be underestimated.\u2019\u2019<\/p>\n
But Judge David Robinson, in documents released to the\u00a0ODT, highlighted the \u2018\u2018inconsistent approach\u2019\u2019 taken by Te K\u0101ika.<\/p>\n
Dr Asheer Singh, a Te K\u0101ika GP and team doctor for the Highlanders, was appearing in court that same day on tax-evasion charges.<\/p>\n
\u2018\u2018It seems surprising that someone with a senior role such as a medical practitioner has not sought name suppression for reasons of protecting the reputation of the employer, while a social worker is advancing that application,\u2019\u2019 he said.<\/p>\n
So why the inconsistent approach? Why was Te K\u0101ika so keen to have Smith\u2019s name kept under wraps and not a high-profile GP?<\/p>\n
He requested Mr Matahaere\u2019s presence in court to be questioned about the contents of his affidavit.<\/p>\n
But just days later Smith\u2019s application for name suppression was discontinued and the proposed hearing abandoned.<\/p>\n
In August, Singh had his application for discharge without conviction rejected and was sentenced to five months\u2019 home detention and 200 hours\u2019 community work.<\/p>\n
The Dunedin District Court heard the doctor had unlawfully evaded nearly $140,000 in taxes, which he accepted was down to \u2018\u2018self-entitlement and greed\u2019\u2019.<\/p>\n
After a few weeks behind bars, Smith got bail to the Hawke\u2019s Bay – escorted there by another Te K\u0101ika staff member – and was eventually sentenced in the Hastings District Court in March on charges of burglary, unlawfully taking a vehicle, assault in a family relationship and breaching the Search and Surveillance Act.<\/p>\n
His new lawyer Eric Forster characterised the crimes as \u2018\u2018someone acting immaturely\u2019\u2019 and stressed the break-in was not a typical burglary.<\/p>\n
Judge Bridget Mackintosh said it was worse.<\/p>\n
\u2018\u2018There was stalking-type behaviour and perseverance,\u2019\u2019 she said.<\/p>\n
The judge was also critical of how long it had taken Smith to take responsibility for his crimes.<\/p>\n
\u2018\u2018The evidence was available from the phone and CCTV. Is it really something that should\u2019ve taken a year to get to sentencing?\u2019\u2019 she said.<\/p>\n
Mr Forster had little to offer but suggested there was little long-term harm inflicted upon the victim.<\/p>\n
Rose disagreed.<\/p>\n
\u2018\u2018It\u2019s not hard to recall the events that got Rema arrested because I\u2019ve watched it over on the security cameras, I\u2019ve read over the threatening text messages in my phone, and it haunts my memory, my dreams and my behaviour as I go about normal everyday activities,\u2019\u2019 she said.<\/p>\n
\u2018\u2018What\u2019s most disturbing is that Rema knew the impact his actions would have on all of us when he abused me because of his professional background. The harm feels cruel and deliberate.\u2019\u2019<\/p>\n
Judge Mackintosh acknowledged the extent of the ordeal and sentenced Smith to 12 months\u2019 supervision and 100 hours\u2019 community work, including among his conditions a ban from entering Dunedin while serving the sentence, monitored by an ankle bracelet.<\/p>\n
She pointed to the extensive support Smith had.<\/p>\n
The judge said his manager at Te K\u0101ika spoke highly of him \u2018\u2018but it seems perhaps working with others to overcome their demons has not assisted you in addressing what appear to be your own\u2019\u2019.<\/p>\n
Despite the serious charges, while on bail, Smith secured a job at Dove Hawke\u2019s Bay – an organisation which specialises in supporting whanau affected by family violence – and facilitated a men\u2019s non-violence programme.<\/p>\n
Chief executive Stewart Eadie said he had received an overwhelmingly glowing reference from Te K\u0101ika.<\/p>\n
Mr Matahaere had said Smith was being \u2018\u2018groomed\u2019\u2019 for the role of chief executive before the offending, Mr Eadie told the\u00a0ODT.<\/p>\n
He was under the impression the validity of the charges would be challenged and once Smith was convicted, he was immediately placed on leave.<\/p>\n
Mr Eadie said he felt \u2018\u2018misled\u2019\u2019 by Te K\u0101ika.<\/p>\n
\u2018\u2018If I had all the facts, I wouldn\u2019t have taken him on as an employee,\u2019\u2019 he said.<\/p>\n
Smith was no longer employed by Dove, Mr Eadie confirmed.<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
SMITH remains suspended by the Social Workers Registration Board but the professional body was more lenient last time he was in trouble.<\/p>\n
In March 2021, he obtained a motorcycle licence after sitting his test on the West Coast.<\/p>\n
Only it did not happen.<\/p>\n
The NZTA-approved tester who filled in the paperwork, 70-year-old Petre Jozef Kalinowski, fraudulently dished out nearly 300 licences to those willing to pay, police discovered.<\/p>\n
Business at his Westport outpost was booming, thanks mostly to word of the scam spreading among the criminal fraternity.<\/p>\n
Court documents noted the King Cobras got wind of the rort in February 2021 and Smith\u2019s involvement came only weeks later.<\/p>\n
After Kalinowski was prosecuted, police were faced with deciding which of his clients to bring before the court.<\/p>\n
In Dunedin there were just two: Mangu Kaha Black Power boss Albert Epere and the senior member of Te K\u0101ika\u2019s staff.<\/p>\n
At his sentencing in April 2023, Smith sought a discharge without conviction citing the possible impact on his ability to practise as a social worker.<\/p>\n
But Judge Michael Turner rejected that, noting there remained no clear reason why Smith had been involved in the licence racket, he stressed.<\/p>\n
In the aftermath of the court case, the Social Workers Registration Board assessed Smith\u2019s fit-and-proper-person status and opted not to suspend him.<\/p>\n
The\u00a0ODT\u00a0has been provided with a string of references written on the practitioner\u2019s behalf.<\/p>\n
Months after being made chief executive, Mr Matahaere wrote that he had known Smith for 20 years and raved about his \u2018\u2018dedication and hard work\u2019\u2019.<\/p>\n
\u2018\u2018When I moved to Te K\u0101ika, I knew we needed some grunt in our social services and approached Rema to come and fill this void,\u2019\u2019 the reference said.<\/p>\n
\u2018\u2018I knew Rema could hold this space for us and keep us safe as an organisation.\u2019\u2019<\/p>\n
Mr Matahaere stressed how important Smith was to Te K\u0101ika\u2019s operation.<\/p>\n
\u2018\u2018Rema sits in my executive leadership team and ensures that we are meeting our legislative requirements,\u2019\u2019 he said.<\/p>\n
\u2018\u2018He is my go-to whenever there is a crisis in the organisation, I find his calm demeanour critical when we need to make hard decisions.\u2019\u2019<\/p>\n
Others, including Ms Matahaere-Atariki, explicitly distanced Smith from any involvement in organised crime.<\/p>\n
\u2018\u2018Rema does have whanau who are in a relationship with gangs,\u2019\u2019 she wrote.<\/p>\n
\u2018\u2018He has never been a gang member himself.\u2019\u2019<\/p>\n
Ex-Te K\u0101ika staff members confirmed that gang members attended Te K\u0101ika work events such as Christmas parties, and that they were uncomfortable with that.<\/p>\n
A source confirmed to the\u00a0ODT\u00a0that concerns were also raised by patrons or security at a Highlanders rugby game after they recognised gang members with a Te K\u0101ika representative in the hospitality area.<\/p>\n
As with other questions, Ms Matahaere-Atariki refused to comment on \u2018\u2018gossip, rumours and anonymous sources\u2019\u2019.<\/p>\n
Smith was contacted by the\u00a0ODT\u00a0but did not respond to requests for comment.<\/p>\n
* Name changed to protect identity<\/p>\n