National Rugby League Side Warriors Caught Up In $4.7M Tourism Scandal

The National Rugby League's New Zealand Warriors "are caught up in an investigation into a Maori tourism qualification involving alleged overpayments" of NZ$6M ($4.7M) of taxpayers' money, according to Deane & Savage of the NEW ZEALAND HERALD. Nearly 100 players and staff "completed" an 18-week course in just one day and a member of the club board -- who also worked for the wananga that ran the tertiary course -- "has been referred to the Serious Fraud Office." Forensic accounting firm Deloitte "referred those three courses to the SFO, while the wananga cancelled the certificates of 217 students" and refunded an additional NZ$1.3M in taxpayers' money. Players and staff from the Warriors "received certificates last year, which are among those now recalled." CEO Wayne Scurrah said it was "disappointing to be caught up in all of this" but the club did not know the course was supposed to be 18 weeks long, not one day (NZ HERALD, 10/2).