“You take the rap for everything so I don’t have to go to jail tonight.” 

Miriana Shirley Emery was speaking to an associate on her mobile phone shortly after police arrived at her Auckland apartment in October last year. 

When asked what she was taking the rap for, Emery replied, “The Highlanders thing”. 

Eight months earlier on March 1, 2025, three thieves broke into a white Toyota Hiace van outside the Crowne Plaza hotel in Albert St about 3am. 

The vehicle had been hired by the Highlanders Super Rugby franchise, while the Dunedin-based team was in town to play Moana Pasifika. 

The thieves struck the jackpot. In the back of the van was a cache of electronic equipment including laptop computers and tablets. There was also a large black-coloured plastic case containing 27 “smart” mouthguards worth $500 each. 

The mouthguards alone were worth about $12,000. All up, the van’s contents were valued at just under $40,000. 

Police searched an Eden Terrace address the next month and found charging cables belonging to the stolen laptops. 

A 33-year-old man appeared in Auckland District Court in May last year charged with theft and was remanded in custody. His two accomplices were still on the run. 

Months later on October 28 last year, police visited Emery’s central Auckland apartment on an unrelated matter. 

While searching the apartment, they discovered the Highlanders’ black plastic case “under a stack of bedding and blankets” in the lounge, a summary of facts released to the Herald states. 

Inside were 24 of the electronic mouthguards. Three were missing. 

During the search, Emery used her mobile phone to call an associate. 

Police overheard her saying: “The things I was supposed to get rid of for the bro”. 

She then said: “I just spoke to ... he said that you take the rap for everything, so I don’t have to go to jail tonight”. 

When questioned what she meant, she admitted “for the Highlanders thing”, the summary says. 

Highlanders lock Fabian Holland. Photo / Photosport. 

She was charged with receiving the stolen case and declined to make a formal statement to police. 

Emery, 39, appeared for sentencing in Auckland District Court yesterday after admitting receiving and an unrelated charge of being unlawfully in a building. 

Her lawyer Nicholas Mani said Emery had suffered addiction problems and the offending occurred during a “relapse”. 

She had lived in Australia and had no family support in New Zealand. 

“This makes her prone to influence from negative peers,” Mani said. 

Judge Nicola Mathers said the offending “must be deterred, it must be denounced and you must be held accountable”. 

“If there weren’t people like you who take items that have been stolen then burglars would find it difficult to get rid of items that have been stolen.” 

Judge Mathers said it was clear there was a connection between Emery and the thieves, though she accepted Emery was not involved in the burglary. 

The stolen items were returned and there was no reparation to be paid, the court heard. 

Emery was sentenced to six months’ home detention, ordered not to possess or consume alcohol or drugs, and ordered to undergo a drug assessment. 

The Highlanders declined to comment when approached by the Herald. 

Lane Nichols is Auckland desk editor for the New Zealand Herald with more than 20 years’ experience in the industry.