Carter John: Appointments — Controller and Auditor-General 
Carter John: Appointments — Controller and Auditor-General 
[Volume:656;Page:5763] 
Hon JOHN CARTER (Acting Leader of the House) 
:  
I move  
That pursuant to section 7(2) of the Public Audit Act 2001 this House recommend His Excellency the Governor-General appoint Lynette Diana Provost of Upper Hutt as Controller and Auditor-General for a term of seven years. 
 The House has been asked to recommend the appointment of Lyn Provost as Controller and Auditor-General following a report from the Officers of Parliament Committee. The committee carried out an extensive recruitment process. 
Officers of Parliament are unusual in that they are appointed by the Governor-General on the recommendation of the House and are interviewed for the job by a select committee. The Officers of Parliament Committee carried out a thorough search for the best candidate for the role. I understand that the committee made its selection from a strong field of candidates after interviewing them and having a panel of technical experts interview them. The role of the Auditor-General is not an easy one. 
Parliament seeks independent assurance that public sector organisations are operating in accordance with Parliament’s intentions and are accounting properly for their performance. There is also a need for independent assurance of local government. Local authorities are accountable to the public for their activities. As an Officer of Parliament the Auditor-General provides independent assurance to the Parliament and to the public. 
The Auditor-General operates independently of the Government and as an Officer of Parliament the person in the role must have very high standards of integrity and judgment. In Lyn Provost we have such a person. She is currently a deputy police commissioner a position she has held for the past 8 years. As deputy commissioner she has been responsible for six police districts as well as for leading finance planning information technology and strategy within the police. Prior to taking her role with the police she was acting chief executive at Archives New Zealand. Ms Provost also has experience as Assistant Controller and Auditor-General. 
As is customary with appointments of Officers of Parliament all political parties in the House have been consulted on the appointment. They unanimously agree to it. The appointment is for one term of 7 years which is the maximum term the Public Audit Act 2001 allows. I am pleased to move Lyn Provost’s appointment as Auditor-General. She goes to lead an organisation that has a great deal of interaction with Parliament and is vital to the effective functioning of our system of Government. I commend her appointment to the House. 
Before I conclude I will also make a comment about the retiring Auditor-General Kevin Brady. He took up the position of Controller and Auditor-General on 6 May 2002. He joined the Office of the Controller and Auditor-General in 1971 and worked in Napier Palmerston North Timaru and Wellington audit offices before being appointed to the role of Assistant Auditor-General Local Government in 1990. 
 The public functions and duties of the Controller and Auditor-General are set out in the Public Audit Act 2001. In summary they are to provide an assurance to Parliament that public entities are operating effectively efficiently and appropriately using public funds wisely and reporting their performance. Kevin is also a fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of New Zealand and holds a Master of Public Policy degree from Victoria University. We wish him well in his retirement.