It was the biggest white collar crime New Zealand had ever seen, totalling $1.5 billion dollars, and at the centre of it all was South Canterbury Finance.

South Canterbury Finance went into voluntary receivership in 2010, claiming a $1.5 billion dollar government bailout.

Four years later, the company director was dead and three other board members were charged with the largest fraud New Zealand had ever seen.

NZ Herald reporter Matt Nippert tells Jesse Mulligan how his investigation triggered the prosecution.

Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details