Auckland mother-of-six guilty of Working for Families tax fraud took overseas trips

Author: Herald Reporters,
Publish Date: Wed, 29 Jul 2026, 3:17pm

An Auckland mother of six who received just under $190,000 in Working for Families tax credits she wasn’t entitled to went on 20 overseas trips in eight years.

Sasagi Rosalie Filoa was sentenced to eight months’ home detention in the Manukau District Court after pleading guilty to a representative charge of tax fraud.

Inland Revenue said Filoa claimed and received full single parent Working for Families Tax Credits (WFTC) for seven years from 2018 until 2024, despite living with her husband during that time.

However, eligibility should have been assessed as for a married couple which, based on their combined income, would have disqualified them from the WFTC.

Inland Revenue records show Filoa received and filled out a Notice of Entitlement (NOE) each year and entered nil amounts under partner income.

She didn’t, at any time, try to update Inland Revenue with the correct information.

WFTC are payments providing assistance for low-income families with dependent children under 18.

During an interview, Filoa admitted she knew she shouldn’t have been receiving WFTC and said the money was used for daily living expenses and personal bills.

However, an Immigration Passenger Movement report showed she travelled overseas, often with her family, about 20 times from 2015 to 2024.

Filoa claimed she used the money to support her family and meet cultural obligations, not luxury spending.

But Judge Luke Radich disputed that, noting that 20 overseas trips by Filoa and her family over eight years indicated a comfortable financial position.

He said it appeared the offending was “motivated by greed rather than necessity”.

Filoa is repaying the amount at $300 per week.