Hurring (33), who was yesterday found guilty in the Rotorua District Court of all 30 charges relating to the unintended appearance of $10 million in her partner's account, was born in Gisborne and moved to Milton with her family. The Sunday Star Times reported in 2009 that after leaving the high school in the late 1990s, she gained a diploma in journalism from the Southern Institute of Technology.
Yesterday, Tokomairiro principal Wayne Edgar said her time at the school was not something staff were talking about.
The family has since moved away from Milton.
Hurring was on trial this week after having pleaded not guilty to 25 counts of theft, three counts of attempting to dishonestly use a document and two counts of money laundering.
Hurring began to cry as the 30 counts were read out.
Outside court, Hurring could only say that she was "relieved" when asked how she felt.
Her lawyer, Simon Lance, said Hurring was "obviously disappointed" at the verdicts.
But she was happy that the more serious charges she had earlier faced when returning to the country had been dismissed.
"We were hopeful the jury might have looked more favourably in relation to those allegations that were centred around the Macau transactions, but that wasn't to be the case," he said.
"The saga's over." But the saga will not be over until Hurring, whose bail conditions bar her from applying for another passport, is sentenced on August 24. Gao, facing 16 charges, is back in court next week.
Crown prosecutor Fletcher Pilditch said he was pleased with the outcome of the trial and said the jury gave "really careful consideration" to all the evidence presented.
It was the Crown case that after Westpac mistakenly put $10 million into the bank account of Hurring's partner, Hui "Leo" Gao, he left the country, and four days later Hurring and her daughter left, too, travelling to Hong Kong.
The 25 theft charges related to Hurring using Gao's bank card to make purchases and withdraw money from automatic money machines in New Zealand.
Three counts involving attempts to use a document relate to Hurring trying to make purchases and withdraw money, also in New Zealand.
The two money-laundering counts related to Hurring setting up a "player" account at a casino in Macau, where two deposits were made totalling more than $340,000, money that could be converted into chips for gambling or to pay for services including accommodation and food.
Her defence said she did not know about Westpac's mistake until she was in China.
- Additional reporting, The New Zealand Herald.
