Overpaid employee must return nearly $10,000 to former employer

The Employment Relations Authority (ERA) has ordered a former employee of My Place Aotearoa Limited (MPAL) to repay nearly $10,000 following an overpayment of wages due to a clerical error.

Hollie-Lee Taituma, who was hired as an assistant, mistakenly received a final payment of $33,451.50 after her employment ended with MPAL in August 2023. She was only supposed to receive $8,054.99, leading to an overpayment of approximately $25,396.51.

MPAL, which attributed the situation to a clerical error, quickly identified the mistake and reached out to Taituma.

The former employee acknowledged the overpayment, but said that she had "already spent a portion of the overpayment."

She was initially able to repay portion of the overpaid amount, before ceasing communication with her employer by November 2023.

Taituma left behind a significant $9,641.11 of overpayment that remained outstanding, prompting MPAL to escalate the matter to the ERA.

Repayment order handed down

The ERA said in its decision released last month that Taituma still owed MPAL the outstanding amount.

"Based on the available evidence, I am unable to find any legal basis on which Ms Taituma should not have to pay back the outstanding overpayments to MPAL," the ERA said in its ruling.

The authority then ordered Taituma to repay MPAL the remaining $9,641.11, as well as an additional $500 in legal costs.