The Samoa Worship Centre in South Auckland faces scrutiny over its connections to OneCoin, a cryptocurrency Ponzi scheme that defrauded investors across the Pacific. New Zealand's Department of Internal Affairs confirmed it is gathering information on OneCoin as part of its probe into the church.
Officials state the cryptocurrency itself is not the direct focus of the investigation. Instead, authorities are examining how church leaders may have used their congregations to promote and profit from the scam. This marks the third Samoan church caught up in the OneCoin scandal within New Zealand.
The Samoan Seventh Day Adventist Church and the Worship Center Christian Church previously faced similar investigations. Both were suspected of money laundering, a serious concern that emerged after Samoa itself banned OneCoin investment. That fraud epidemic swept through the country, leading to the ban.
Samoa's Prime Minister publicly urged citizens to stop investing in OneCoin. Authorities there estimate Samoan investors collectively lost millions of dollars to the scheme. The destination of those lost funds became a central question. Evidence indicated a significant portion flowed directly into the pockets of Samoan church leaders who promoted the scheme to their followers.
Money laundering through Samoan churches in New Zealand operated systematically. This problem became so entrenched that authorities in both countries launched formal investigations. The Department of Internal Affairs issued nearly identical statements about its probes into separate churches, consistently noting that OneCoin information was collected but not the primary focus. The approach often centers on tracing financial flows to uncover fraudulent activity.
OneCoin itself did not operate within New Zealand. This forced investigators to focus on how local church networks became conduits for the scam. Promoters needed trusted institutions and community leaders to move money and recruit victims. Samoan churches provided both.
Samoan authorities are also investigating the Samoan Independent Seventh Day Adventist Church (SISDAC) for similar crimes. In June, the New Zealand Department of Internal Affairs issued a cautious statement regarding that specific investigation, again noting OneCoin information had been gathered but was not the main concern.
The question of criminal charges or significant consequences for the implicated church leaders remained open for a period. Bureaucratic statements and careful wording suggested authorities were proceeding deliberately.
But this changed in February 2021. New Zealand's Charities Service completed its investigation into SISDAC and confirmed OneCoin-related fraud. The church was struck off the Charities Register, a rare and serious sanction. Stripping it of its charitable status meant the organization could no longer receive tax-exempt donations or operate as a registered charity within New Zealand.