Paraone Pita: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers Questions to Members 
Paraone Pita: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers Questions to Members 
[Volume:607;Page:4285] 
9.  
PITA PARAONE (NZ First) 
 to the  
Minister of State Services 
: Is he satisfied that all State sector employees are treated in an equal manner with respect to employment issues? 
Hon TREVOR MALLARD (Minister of State Services) 
: 
 State servants’ employment conditions are a matter for their individual employer. I would expect employers to treat their employees according to the conditions set out in individual or collective agreements. 
Pita Paraone 
: Is the Minister concerned that we could feasibly have 180 repeats of the situation currently facing the Taranaki District Health Board where the chief executive officer John O’Neill is taking unlimited sick leave at a cost of over $5000 per week to the district health board which is receiving no extra funding as a result; or does he deny any responsibility over the matter as his colleague the Minister of Health has done on several occasions? 
Mr SPEAKER 
: The Hon Trevor Mallard can deal with the matters for which he as Minister is responsible. 
Hon TREVOR MALLARD 
: The provision in question has been standard in chief executive contracts in the wider State sector and has operated in I understand over 300 employment contract agreements without difficulty. Of course the commission continually evaluates developments in employment law and practice and will review the chief executive model employment agreements when necessary. 
Tim Barnett 
: Does the State Services Commissioner employ any State sector employees? 
Hon TREVOR MALLARD 
: Yes but very few. 
Shane Ardern 
: In the light of the Minister’s answer how is it that a request made to the Taranaki District Health Board by its chief executive—who is on sick leave after being suspended while overseas on honeymoon—for information around the accusation in regard to his employment issue has still not been furnished or he has had no information on that matter? How is that? 
Hon TREVOR MALLARD 
: I think the member knows that it would be absolutely inappropriate for me to comment on an individual case. I submit to the House that it is also unwise of him. 
Sue Bradford 
: What commitment does the Minister have to reducing the pay gap in the public sector whereby in 2001 male managers earned on average $65000 a year and female managers $54000 according to a human resources capability survey of public service departments? 
Hon TREVOR MALLARD 
: That is not a problem that I have noticed in our Cabinet. 
Judy Turner 
: Can the Minister explain in the light of the State Services Commissioner’s statement to the Government Administration Committee that he did not endorse unlimited sick leave and it was being phased out why it is still included in the standard contract offered to new district health board chief executives which can be found on the commission’s website? 
Hon TREVOR MALLARD 
: As I indicated earlier practices and law are looked at carefully by the State Services Commissioner and draft contracts—which are the responsibility of course of the boards when they are signed not of the commissioner—are updated regularly.