English Bill: Debate on Crown Entities Public Organisations and State Enterprises — In Committee Speaker Recalled In Committee 
English Bill: Debate on Crown Entities Public Organisations and State Enterprises — In Committee Speaker Recalled In Committee 
[Volume:617;Page:13248] 
Hon BILL ENGLISH (National—Clutha-Southland) 
: 
 So much rests on the broad shoulders of Dr Cullen this week because the rest of his front bench is crumbling starting with the Prime Minister who has had no response to the Maori challenge and including Mr Goff with his liberal views on under-age sex and the Minister in the chair Mr Maharey with a failed tertiary policy. 
I found a quote the other day that I thought I might share with members. It is about the work of the Tertiary Education Commission. “The work included the Tertiary Education Advisory Commission’s four reports the industry training review the training opportunities and youth training review the work of the adult education and community learning working-party and most importantly the passing of the Education (Tertiary Reform) Amendment Act the development of the tertiary education strategy 2002-07 and the promulgation of the first statement of the tertiary education priority.” That is all its work in 5 years and what is the result? The result is widespread mismanagement and potentially fraudulent behaviour among our polytechnics which have unexpectedly blown the least strategic part of his Budget out by $80 million over the last couple of years the worst year being 2003. 
I ask the Minister when he will start taking this matter seriously. Let us take the example of Brylton Software and its joint-venture deal with Christchurch Polytechnic. That polytechnic had 96000 enrolments which we are told is only about 20000 or 30000 people and it earned $15 million in revenue from the Government. The head of development for Christchurch Polytechnic was Vicki Buck who was also a director of Brylton Software which provided the course that involved students being given CD-ROMs. So $15 million flowed into Christchurch Polytechnic and I want to know—and the students of the polytechnic want to know—where it went. How much did Brylton Software get with the director of development for Christchurch Polytechnic being a director? 
I can recall much debate in this Parliament about Aotearoa Television and Tuku Morgan and his shopping habits. I remind the Minister that about $100000 in director fees were in question in that case and there was huge debate. I suggest to him that if the Tertiary Education Commission had been a Maori organisation he would have sent in an independent investigation months ago. He would have taken the view that the public would not tolerate Labour being soft on Maoris. Well it is not a Maori organisation but the extent of the mismanagement is enormous. It amounts to $15 million just in Christchurch—before we begin to talk about Tairawhiti Polytechnic the Open Polytechnic and The Tertiary Alliance all of which have not merely dipped their toes in the water but been in it up to their necks. 
Given the obvious potential conflict of interest what did the Minister do? Well he went and asked the people who were conflicted whether they had behaved themselves. They said that yes they had behaved themselves. But the answer to the parliamentary question does not say that. It says that at one stage the two people in the polytechnic who were conflicted advised of their conflict and withdrew from negotiations. So in an answer to this Parliament the Minister has confirmed that Vicki Buck and her offsider were involved in negotiations between Christchurch Polytechnic and Brylton Software—a company of which they were shareholders and she was a director—involving $15 million. 
Then today I outlined to the House allegations from students at Tairawhiti Polytechnic that in enrolling for one course they were asked to enrol for another course in order to “help with funding”. When they enrolled they attracted hundreds of dollars of public money for their enrolment. Every person in Christchurch who enrolled because he or she got an inducement attracted $800 of public taxpayers’ money. When will the Minister set up an independent investigation into these matters?