Without wage subsidies and a bequest from a generous donor, Heart Kids would have struggled to get through the year, said Longbottom. The squeeze on traditional forms of fundraising, and a desire to attract younger donors, prompted it to investigate cryptocurrency. It was the first local charity to sign up with The Giving Block, a United States-based company, to receive donations in Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies. Heart Kids was approached by The Giving Block head of research Michael Earley, originally from New Zealand. “Had we not had that anchor with Michael, maybe if you got a cold call you’d start worrying about the negative side of it potentially unregulated market - how do you know who your donors are?” Longbottom said.
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One of the bags picked up by cocaine money launderer Thi Lieu Le had so much cash in it the undercover Customs officer who observed the handover recorded that she struggled to carry it .
When a student named in court documents simply as ‘Ms Do’ walked into the ASB branch on Auckland’s Queen St and paid $100,000 cash into her account, it was “nothing more than an informal transfer system”. At least that was how she saw it. For Detective Sergeant Andrew Dunhill however, whose undercover Police and Customs team witnessed the transaction on August 15, 2017, it was another name to add to the list.