Iesha Warren will next appear at Wellington District Court in August. Photo: RNZ / Rebekah Parsons-King
A former Porirua charitable trust employee is alleged to have stolen more than $1 million worth of money intended for social support services.
Iesha Warren has pleaded not guilty to changes of obtaining by deception, theft, false accounting and using a forged document.
The Serious Fraud Office alleges Warren misappropriated funds from Te Roopu Awhina Ki Porirua Trust, where she worked from 2019 until June 2021.
The trust helps Porirua whānau to access social services, such as care and protection programmes for children.
"The SFO alleges that in that time, Warren directed $1.17 million into bank accounts she controlled by creating false supplier invoices or making payments directly from the trust account," a SFO spokesperson said.
Warren will next appear at Wellington District Court in August.