Ryall Tony: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
Ryall Tony: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
[Volume:645;Page:14605] 
3.  
Hon TONY RYALL (National—Bay of Plenty) 
 to the  
Minister of Health 
: Was the Minister of Health briefed on a proposed community services joint venture between the Hawke’s Bay District Health Board and Healthcare New Zealand before the 2005 election; if so when? 
Hon DAVID CUNLIFFE (Minister of Health) 
: 
 Yes. I am advised that Mr Hausmann clearly disclosed a potential conflict of interest regarding the tendering of community services. I am further advised that the board was given advice by the Ministry of Health as to how it could manage any conflict of interest. This information was provided to the Minister and to Cabinet and was publicly released to the National Party and to the  
Dominion Post 
. 
Hon Tony Ryall 
: Is the Minister assuring Parliament that although Mrs King has now stated that she and Mr Hausmann had a number of meetings on health issues and that she visited his family corporate box at Wellington’s Westpac Stadium on a number of occasions she was never briefed on and never discussed the proposed community services contract with Mr Hausmann? 
Hon DAVID CUNLIFFE 
: No. 
Lesley Soper 
: In this light has former Chair Kevin Atkinson explained how the supposedly secret emails that were mysteriously obtained by Mr Ryall and tabled in the House yesterday arose? 
Hon DAVID CUNLIFFE 
: Yes. I am advised that former Chairman Atkinson commented on Radio New Zealand National today that the emails related to events preceded Mr Hausmann’s appointment to the board and I quote: “Interviewer: ‘When he was appointed to the board did any inappropriate communication continue then?’ Atkinson: ‘With regard to the RFP process up until the board’s decision in December no.’ ” 
Hon Tony Ryall 
: Is the Minister aware of this internal Healthcare New Zealand document written by Mr Hausmann which states that the Minister supports the proposal and does this not indicate that Mrs King was in fact briefed about this joint venture well before she appointed Mr Hausmann? 
Hon DAVID CUNLIFFE 
: If the member wishes to trawl through an extensive history of documents and focus on one it would be as well of him to name it in the primary question. 
Hon Tony Ryall 
: Is the Minister saying that Annette King was aware of Mr Hausmann’s intention to tender for the multimillion-dollar contracts—indeed that she was briefed by Mr Hausmann—that Mr Hausmann did declare this in his declaration in May and that Annette King told Cabinet he intended to be a tenderer for a multimillion-dollar contract at the Hawke’s Bay District Health Board yet they still appointed such a man with such a conflict of interest? 
Hon DAVID CUNLIFFE 
: If the member is saying: “He told her she told Cabinet and the Ministry of Health told all of them that it could be managed.” then I would concur but I fail to see the scandal in all of the above. 
Hon Tony Ryall 
: So is this Minister saying it is OK for the chief executive of a district health board to collude with a tenderer to provide him the documents before any other tenderer to allow him to make changes that favour his company and to accept all those changes in total—this Minister says that is not a scandal? 
Hon DAVID CUNLIFFE 
: I believe there are two separate issues in discussion here. The first is whether Mr Hausmann made a declaration of conflict of interest to the Minister and therefore to the ministry and Cabinet in the process of appointment and the answer to that is yes. The second is whether any of the prior contact between Mr Hausmann and Mr Clarke at the request for proposal stage of the process was inappropriate. As I have already answered that is a matter that I imagine is the subject inter alia of the governance review and now that Mr Atkinson’s injunction has been lifted we might all get to hear the answer.