Donnelly Brian: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
Donnelly Brian: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
[Volume:621;Page:16386] 
4.  
Hon BRIAN DONNELLY (NZ First) 
 to the  
Associate Minister of Education (Tertiary Education) 
: Is he able to follow through with his indication on 6 October 2004 to check whether the Hon John Tamihere did say at a recent New Zealand Association of Private Education Providers function a comment to the effect that if we want to find real rorts in the tertiary system we need to look no further than the polytechnic sector; if so what was the outcome of his investigations? 
Hon TREVOR MALLARD (Minister of Education) 
 
on behalf of the Associate Minister 
 of Education (Tertiary Education) 
: I think it is fair to say in answer to the substance of the question that it is an ongoing matter. As to Mr Tamihere’s comments he did reflect the fact that the private education providers sector which was previously the focus of concerns about quality has put a lot of effort into this area. The focus of concerns—both some real concerns which I think the member and I share—and some unreal concerns that Bill English has seem to have moved elsewhere. 
Hon Brian Donnelly 
: Is it not true that there is no person in his caucus more qualified to know a rort when he sees one than John Tamihere? 
Hon TREVOR MALLARD 
: I am told that the comments were made in a light-hearted manner and that the person who giggled the loudest and the most vigorously at the comments was Brian Donnelly. 
Lynne Pillay 
: What measures has the private training establishment sector taken to take responsibility for addressing quality concerns in relation to its sector? 
Hon TREVOR MALLARD 
: It has set up a quality commissioner and I understand that the Associate Minister congratulated the sector on this initiative. 
Hon Bill English 
: Is the Minister aware that one of my what he calls “unreal concerns” has been about 13298 students at Christchurch Polytechnic —for whom there is no evidence that they even started a course for which they were enrolled—and when is the Associate Minister going to honour his promise to this House to get the money back from Christchurch Polytechnic which would amount to some $12 million? 
Hon TREVOR MALLARD 
: I understand that the Associate Minister has reported as to the collection of some of those funds already. 
Rodney Hide 
: How can this Government—[ 
Interruption 
] 
Mr SPEAKER 
: There was a comment from both sides. That is the one warning. 
Rodney Hide 
: How can this Government have any credibility chasing down rorts as long as John Tamihere is in Cabinet and caucus? 
Hon TREVOR MALLARD 
: About the same as the pyramid financier can. 
Hon Brian Donnelly 
: Does the Associate Minister agree with the statement made by Mr Tamihere about rorts in the polytechnic sector or was Mr Tamihere talking bunkum? 
Hon TREVOR MALLARD 
: The Associate Minister is aware that the Minister of Education who is in charge of the education budget is concerned about the explosion in some areas of 5.1 and lower-level courses and is working very hard to reduce this. 
Hon Bill English 
: Is the Minister aware that Christchurch Polytechnic has repaid $80000 which it had spent on book vouchers to induce enrolments but that it has not yet paid back 1c for 13298 students who enrolled in a course that they never started or completed for which the Crown paid around $12 million and when is he going to recover the money as he promised? 
Hon TREVOR MALLARD 
: I think that member was the Minister of Finance who set up the financing arrangements for that very approach. The other point is that there is another question hanging around and that is when he is going to apologise to Aoraki Polytechnic ? 
Mr SPEAKER 
: The Minister will now address the question. 
Hon TREVOR MALLARD 
: This Government is working very hard to stop the rorts of the sort that were set up by that member. 
John Carter 
: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. The Minister still has not answered a very clear question from the Hon Bill English asking when the Minister will recover the money. It was a simple question it needs a simple answer. 
Mr SPEAKER 
: I thought the Minister did address that with the last answer that he gave. 
John Carter 
: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. No he did not. I listened very very carefully to the answer given by the Minister. He did not address the question. It was a simple question: when is he going to recover the money? 
Mr SPEAKER 
: Well I respect the member as a member who rarely raises points of order unless they are justified. I think the Minister could make a further comment. 
Hon TREVOR MALLARD 
: I will elaborate with a further comment. I hope some money is recovered but it appears that the system set up by the previous Government allowed that rort. 
Hon Brian Donnelly 
: Is it not true that the work that the Minister has been doing to prevent those rorts of 5.1 funding has in fact set arbitrary caps on institutions which has advantaged those that have been involved in the rorts and disadvantaged those that have been playing by the book? 
Hon TREVOR MALLARD 
: Yes and it will not last.