A Hawke’s Bay church leader has pleaded guilty to 88 tax evasion charges linked to two charitable organisations and a company he operated.
According to a report by Stuff, Charles Faletutulu, 37, appeared in Napier District Court on Wednesday, admitting the charges brought by Inland Revenue. He was charged late last year and had initially been granted interim name suppression, which ended following his guilty pleas.
The offending involved Faletutulu’s positions with the Napier and Hastings Samoan Assembly of God early childcare centre, the Kings Force Health Charitable Trust and his company, Tautua Ltd.
The charges relate to the alleged evasion of goods and services tax (GST) and employer tax obligations across the three entities over multiple periods between January 2020 and May 2025, Stuff has reported.
The Kings Force Health Charitable Trust operated from 2017 until it was removed from the Charities Register in July 2024 for failing to submit annual returns.
The trust provided care and support to the Pasifika community and received hundreds of thousands of dollars through contracts to deliver services for various government agencies, as reported by Stuff.
It also made substantial advances to the Napier and Hastings Samoan Assembly of God early childcare centre, which received Ministry of Education funding to provide early learning services.
The childcare centre was removed from the Charities Register in February 2025 after failing to file annual returns for five years. It was subsequently re-registered a few months later, Stuff has reported.
The 88 charges carry a maximum penalty of five years’ imprisonment and/or a fine of up to $50,000.
Faletutulu is due to be sentenced in February. He was contacted for comment, as reported by Stuff.