Despite a history of burglary and theft offending, Kane Ranui was on the up after meeting his wife and having four children.

After his family faced financial hardship in 2024, the 36-year-old took it into his own hands to keep them afloat.

The then-branch manager for a scaffolding company in Wānaka stole scaffolding and moved it to an empty lot.

He then sold it to a Cromwell building company on three occasions for $45,500, which he pocketed, ending six years of non-offending.

In the Alexandra District Court, Ranui pleaded guilty to obtaining by deception and theft, and was sentenced to eight months’ home detention by Judge Emma Smith.

Ranui had been employed as a scaffolding company’s branch manager in Wānaka.

Around March 2024, a Cromwell building company owner named in court only as Mr Stewart asked Ranui if he knew of any scaffolding for sale.

Ranui told him he had an associate who had some, saying it came from a company that went bankrupt.

The scaffolding belonged to the company Ranui worked for.

“What you had actually been doing is between March 2024 and August 30, 2024 you moved scaffolding at the value of $45,500 from a site in Wānaka to another building yard which belonged to your associate,” Judge Smith said.

“You were not allowed to take it. You were not allowed to remove it. It just was not yours.”

In December 2024, Stewart contacted Ranui again and asked if he still had any scaffolding.

Ranui offered Stewart 30 bays of scaffolding for $20,000, which was paid to his bank account on November 29, 2024.

“You went further though. You then told Mr Stewart you had further scaffolding available if required and he arranged to buy a further 30 bays,” Judge Smith said.

On February 7, 2025, Stewart transferred another $20,000 into Ranui’s bank account and up to $4500 later that month for more scaffolding.

“When you were apprehended for this, you said that you stored the scaffolding at a building site belonging to an associate, in essence accepted what you had done,” Judge Smith said.

Judge Smith said she had been provided victim impact statements from both company owners.

The scaffolding company owner said they had a deep sense of anxiety and violation, particularly as they trusted Ranui in the daily operation of the business.

“He thought he had given you support above and beyond your remuneration for your employment.”

For Stewart, the consequences for him, his business and family had been devastating.

He said he gave Ranui $45,000 in good faith, believing he was able to legitimately supply the scaffolding.

“Initially he lived under constant stress fearing that he would be arrested for receiving. He had sleepless nights.

“Your crime pushed him out of an ability to retire in the way that he and his family had anticipated and worked honestly all of their lives.”

Ranui’s ‘appalling’ criminal history

Judge Smith told Ranui he had an “appalling history”.

“You have been imprisoned before for very serious offending, particularly dishonesties and repeatedly so for burglaries, thefts from cars and taking cars.

“The prison sentences that this Court gave you and release conditions designed to ensure you did not offend again may have had no impact, except for this.”

His last offence was in 2018.

“But for six years you stopped and if I have pieced it together well enough, one of the reasons for that was your meeting, and your relationship with, your wife.”

He also now had four children.

“What you say is your offending began because of extreme financial hardship for you, your wife and those four children. You prided yourself on being able to provide for them in ways your past would never have normally allowed you to do so.

“I accept that you were struggling, and you thought the way to do that was to return to dishonesty and it has just been a disaster for your wife and your children, who have yet to be told the extreme nature of your offending.

“But what you did was take from someone else and cause them financial hardship to release your own. That is just illogical, and it is criminal.”

Ranui to pay Stewart back

Police sought $45,500 in reparation for Stewart.

While on bail, Judge Smith said Ranui had attempted to make amends and access $30,000 in his KiwiSaver to pay the reparation.

He had also got other work, with his employer writing to the court that he was doing well despite extensive hours.

Judge Smith gave a starting point of 18 months’ imprisonment, uplifting that to 24 months for the deception matter. She then increased it by one month for past and proximate offending.

She then reduced the 25-month prison sentence by 30%, 25% for Ranui’s early guilty plea and a further 5% for the remorse he showed, taking it to 17 months, two weeks’ imprisonment.

“The law requires me to then look at what is likely to be the least restrictive sentence for you and I have reached the position the least restrictive is one of home detention because that will enable you to keep working to a degree to get the rest of the money for the reparation.

“For those reasons I have settled on a sentence of eight months’ home detention.”