English Bill: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
English Bill: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
[Volume:625;Page:19739] 
6.  
Hon BILL ENGLISH (National—Clutha-Southland) 
 to the  
Minister of Education 
: Can he confirm that between March 2002 and December 2004 Ministers received 37 briefings from the Ministry of Education regarding Te Wananga o Aotearoa; if not why not? 
Hon TREVOR MALLARD (Minister of Education) 
: 
 No. If one counts written briefings specifically and solely relating to the wananga the figure may be accurate but if one counts mentions of the wananga in other reports oral briefings and other communications then it is certainly a lot more. 
Hon Bill English 
: Can the Minister tell the House why he is now spending $6000 per working-day on a new team of consultants plus $2600 per day on an individual daily rate when he has already paid a Mr Graeme McNally $2100 per day as development adviser to the wananga since June 2002? 
Hon TREVOR MALLARD 
: On the question of the rate the rates were set as a result of the competitive tender process for people who are capable of doing the work. My understanding is that the rate is very much the same rate that the individual was paid by Murray McCully to work in the housing area during the time of the previous Government. We have taken a number of steps over the past few years to address concerns but it is fair to say that Ministers had not considered the impact of a group of individuals treating the wananga as though it were a personal family business run for personal gain until about August last year when these matters to do with a close friend of Mr English were referred to the Auditor-General. 
Hon Ken Shirley 
: Does the Minister deny that the many reports he received last year included concerns over the integrity of enrolments at Te Wananga o Aotearoa and what steps is he taking to investigate this issue in view of the fact that enrolments are specifically excluded from the Auditor-General’s terms of reference? 
Hon TREVOR MALLARD 
: That is one of the things the Tertiary Education Commission is doing. 
Hon Ken Shirley 
: I raise a point of order Madam Speaker. The Minister spoke very quietly. I did not hear his response. Could I ask him to repeat his answer please. 
Hon TREVOR MALLARD 
: That is one of the things the Tertiary Education Commission is doing. 
H V Ross Robertson 
: Can the Minister tell the House whether in fact he is satisfied that the wananga meets the academic performance standards expected of tertiary education institutions? 
Hon TREVOR MALLARD 
: No. 
Hon Bill English 
: Can the Minister tell the House whether he has seen a report from one official of the Ministry of Education that states: “I am tired of going to large meetings which are drawn out and everyone agrees but no action comes of it at all.” in respect of the wananga and can he confirm that the real reason for 5 years of his sitting on his hands over the wananga is further official advice: “The wananga has relationships with quite a number of iwi around the country. Cutting back the enrolments could affect relations with iwi both for the wananga and the Crown.”—is that the real reason he did nothing until election year? 
Hon TREVOR MALLARD 
: I have seen the first report. In my view it is inaccurate. I have seen the second report and it will be proven to be inaccurate. 
Hon Ken Shirley 
: What advice does he give to the scores of concerned people who receive certificates from Te Wananga o Aotearoa in the mail and invitations to graduation ceremonies for courses that they never attended or in some instances never even realised they were enrolled in; and will he be seeking to recover the taxpayers’ money? 
Hon TREVOR MALLARD 
: I would invite people to refer those certificates and those letters to the Tertiary Education Commission. Quite a large amount of recovery is going on. 
Hon Bill English 
: I seek leave to table an internal memo from a Ministry of Education official that states he is tired of going to long meetings where everyone agrees and no action is taken. 
Document by leave laid on the Table of the House. 
Hon Bill English 
: I seek leave to table a report from a Ministry of Education official that refers to relationships between iwi and the Crown and how cutting back on enrolments would affect those relationships. 
Document by leave laid on the Table of the House.