A trusted Indian-origin property manager at Oranga Tamariki and her husband allegedy defrauded the government agency of more than $2 million in a brazen, years-long scheme that ended in business-class tickets to India and criminal convictions.
Neha Sharma, 36, who worked as the property and facilities manager for Oranga Tamariki, was sentenced to three years in prison after pleading guilty to multiple charges including obtaining by deception, money laundering, and using forged documents. Her husband, Amandeep Sharma, director of construction company Divine Connection Ltd, has also pleaded guilty and will be sentenced in June.
The Christchurch-based couple orchestrated an elaborate fraud by secretly inserting Amandeep’s company into the government agency’s job system, with Neha personally approving and allocating work to Divine Connection—despite knowing it was a serious conflict of interest and that the company was not an approved supplier.
The NZ Herald reports that Neha Sharma had forged job references to land her role at Oranga Tamariki in 2021, where she oversaw property maintenance across Canterbury. She used her access to internal systems to list Divine Connection as a contractor, then steered $2.1 million worth of jobs to the company over 15 months, many with inflated invoices or unrelated personal expenses—including a television purchased for her own home.
At work, Neha hid her relationship with Amandeep, messaging him reminders to act independently and telling colleagues he was just another contractor. The pair even brought a friend into the call centre to help direct jobs to Divine Connection.
It is reported that by late 2022, concerns over suspicious invoicing and Neha’s unauthorised job allocations prompted an internal investigation at Oranga Tamariki. When it became clear her husband’s company was registered to her home address, Neha abruptly resigned, claiming she was being unfairly targeted.
Days later, the Sharmas altered company records to remove Amandeep’s name, replacing him with an unwitting acquaintance. The Serious Fraud Office launched a criminal investigation, eventually raiding their home in March 2023. Authorities discovered they had three properties, three vehicles, and nearly $800,000 in liquid assets—most of which they attempted to transfer to India.
Just weeks after the raid, the couple fled New Zealand on a one-way business-class flight to Chennai with 80 kilograms of luggage. They had tried to liquidate their assets before departing and falsely claimed to have sold the company.
Despite being on the run, Neha briefly secured another government role at the NZ Transport Agency using the same fake references, with her husband posing as a referee.
Appearing in the High Court at Christchurch, Neha Sharma blamed “baby brain” for her actions and is now serving her sentence in the mothers’ and babies’ unit. The Crown noted she showed no genuine remorse or offered any repayment.
Oranga Tamariki CEO Andrew Bridgman said the case was a serious breach of public trust but praised the swift internal response and the agency’s subsequent reforms.
“Corruption of this kind is utterly unacceptable,” Bridgman said.
“We’ve strengthened our internal controls, improved training, and implemented more rigorous governance to prevent this from ever happening again.”
The Ministry of Education confirmed Sharma’s initial references were forged and said her recruitment had been managed by an external agency. Their own internal audit found no financial misconduct during her tenure.
Support our Journalism
No-nonsense journalism. No paywalls. Whether you’re in Australia, the UK, Canada, the USA, or India, you can support The Australia Today by taking a paid subscription via Patreon or donating via PayPal — and help keep honest, fearless journalism alive.
