Former Open Country Dairy executive receives 12-month home detention sentence
Simon Stewart was sentenced at Manukau District Court on October 15 after pleading guilty in July to accepting a gift as an agent, an offence under section 4 of New Zealand’s Secret Commissions Act 1910. The charge was brought by the Serious Fraud Office (SFO).
Stewart received money from PT Anta Tirta Kirana, an Indonesia-based customer of Open Country Dairy Limited (OCD). In return, he supplied advice, assistance and commercially sensitive pricing information connected with the sale of dairy products.
The payments included 27 bank transfers made between April 1st 2019 and October 10th 2023. They totalled NZ$276,668, with individual transfers ranging from NZ$6,980 to NZ$22,767. Stewart also accepted foreign currency equivalent to NZ$43,000 in cash, bringing the total value of the payments to nearly NZ$320,000.
Alongside the home-detention order, the court required Stewart to make NZ$250,000 in reparation to OCD. The company referred the matter to the SFO in December 2023 after conducting its own internal investigation, and the agency acknowledged OCD’s co-operation during the subsequent investigation.
“The dairy industry is a vital part of the New Zealand economy, and Mr Stewart’s conduct had the potential to undermine confidence in this important sector,” said SFO director Karen Chang. She said the case showed that corruption could occur outside the public sector and included corporate offending affecting trade-related industries among the SFO’s responsibilities.
OCD is primarily owned by Talley’s Food Group. It is New Zealand’s second-largest milk processor and the world’s second-largest exporter of whole milk powder. The SFO investigates and prosecutes serious or complex fraud, including bribery and corruption, in New Zealand.
