Kim Symes treated herself to groceries and nights out at the pokies at the expense of her employer, a small kura in the Far North.

But it was the students that were most disadvantaged as a good chunk of the money was to buy a much needed playground.

They will now go without.

Symes, a former school administrator, was sentenced to 10 months' home detention at the Manukau District Court on Tuesday for stealing $250,000 from Te Kura Kaupapa Māori o te Tonga o Hokianga.

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She earlier pleaded guilty to one count of obtaining by deception, one count of using forged documents and four counts of dishonestly using a document.

The offending happened over a four and a half year period, between 2013 and 2017.

The 51-year-old grandmother worked as a support staff administrator for 11 years, where she was responsible for the financial duties for the school.

This gave Symes responsibility of ensuring the school's spending was supported by purchase order forms, receipts or other documentation. In that role she had access to the school's bank accounts and accounting records.

Symes' litany of lies was revealed in a 10-page police summary of facts, read to the court by Judge Anna Johns.

STUFF Staff from Te Kura Kaupapa Māori o te Tonga o Hokianga were at the sentencing at Manukau District Court on Tuesday.

The summary showed Symes' banked about 203 cheques, totalling almost $154,000, and more than $2000 was spent on the kura's credit card. About $50,000 was transferred from the kura account to Symes' personal accounts.

She bought $13,500 worth of groceries at New World, forged timesheets to get $24,000 in salary from Novopay and failed to disclose her reduced work hours, which meant she received $8500 from the Ministry of Education.

In a letter to the court, the board chairman said the kura continues to suffer as a consequence of Symes' actions.

The kura was now unable to afford a new playground for their tamariki and lost local funding opportunities.

"The kura hasn't had a clean audit since you were found out so the consequences of what happened within the budgeting are continuing," Judge Johns said.

"They probably won't have a clean audit for a couple of years based on the roll on effect this has created.

"The children have been extremely disadvantaged here which has been extremely disappointing."

The chairman said he and the staff forgave Symes and hopes she gets help for her gambling addiction.

"You told people you took money because of a gambling addiction but money used by you was also used on family groceries and to give to other family members.

"You had originally agreed to pay the money back that you stole from the kura at a rate of $50 per week, you did this for a couple of months when you were first found out but you ended up paying only $450.

"What we do we do for the children... and to have lost that money which should have gone to them is gutting.

"The whole thing to be honest was a bit of a kick in the face by you.

"We considered you to be whānau and in our community we need to have eachother's backs. It hurts, it really does, because we trusted you and that's the hardest thing to grasp. You've messed things up for good."

Judge Johns gave a starting point of three years six months' imprisonment.

She reduced the sentence by 30 per cent for mitigating factors including significant childhood trauma, no previous convictions, and the steps Symes had taken since being caught, which included service to her community.

The judge also gave a 25 per cent discount for an early guilty plea.

Symes, who is now living in Auckland, will serve 10 months' home detention and be subject to post-release conditions, which includes budgeting, counselling and 150 hours community work.

She will pay back $5000 of the $250,000 at $20 per week, starting next week.