English Bill: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers Questions to Members 
English Bill: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers Questions to Members 
[Volume:620;Page:15871] 
2.  
Hon BILL ENGLISH (National—Clutha-Southland) 
 to the  
Associate Minister of Education (Tertiary Education) 
: Was he advised earlier this year that “An issue arose this year at Aoraki Polytechnic in relation to the validation of student enrolments the majority of which pertained to 5.1.” and was this issue related to Government funding for Aoraki Polytechnic’s “joint education programmes” where it offers courses through existing community groups? 
Hon STEVE MAHAREY (Associate Minister of Education (Tertiary Education)) 
: 
 The answer to the first question is yes. The answer to the second question is that the issue was a general one about the collection of administrative information. 
Hon Bill English 
: Does the Minister endorse Aoraki Polytechnic’s practice of boosting enrolments by using community groups like the South Canterbury ADHD Support Group the Alzheimer’s Society Ashburton District and the Timaru Breastfeeding Interest Group as a way to boost enrolments and will he investigate whether mothers and carers who attend those groups are being enrolled in Aoraki Polytechnic as students? 
Hon STEVE MAHAREY 
: I would be concerned about any misuse of funds as I always am. However I would only investigate any particular complaint if it was made by somebody else other than the member because I can never trust anything he says. 
Dr Ashraf Choudhary 
: Have other issues been raised about courses at Aoraki Polytechnic? 
Hon STEVE MAHAREY 
: Yes. I saw a claim yesterday that: “People who attended a business lunch in Timaru earlier this year were told that they could stay and hear Mr Mark Tamaki speak if they filled out a form enrolling them at this course at Aoraki Polytechnic.” However it turns out that the lunch was organised by the Aoraki Development Trust and that both the polytechnic and the trust agree that the polytechnic had nothing to do with the event. The polytechnic’s chief executive is now seeking a retraction from Mr English. I have to agree with the Aoraki Development Trust general manager who said: “I would suggest Mr English should do his research because at the end of the day it is his credibility that is now in question.” Mr English should apologise. 
Hon Brian Donnelly 
: Does the Associate Minister stand by his associate ministerial colleague’s comment at a recent New Zealand Association of Private Education Providers function 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 or does he believe that John Tamihere does not know what he is talking about? 
Hon STEVE MAHAREY 
: Obviously I was not at the speech but I have found John Tamihere to be an insightful person. I would need to check that out with him though to know exactly what he said. 
Hon Bill English 
: Has the Minister seen the programme for the New Zealand Council of Homeopaths conference to be held in New Plymouth this year which lists Aoraki Polytechnic as the platinum sponsor has he seen the list of community groups that provide their courses as including the New Zealand Council of Homeopaths national conference and will he investigate whether people who enrol to attend that conference are in fact enrolling at Aoraki Polytechnic as occurred last year? 
Hon STEVE MAHAREY 
: As I said before I will investigate any concern that is raised about the irregular use of public funding. However I will always have to separately verify any claims from that member because he systematically gets it wrong. 
Hon Jim Sutton 
: Can the Minister confirm that Aoraki Polytechnic is proactive in its liaison and working with community and commercial groups in the South Canterbury area that it serves and that it has the full confidence of that community? 
Hon STEVE MAHAREY 
: The member of course is a representative of that community and is expressing his confidence by asking that question. But I can confirm that Aoraki Polytechnic does have clear evidence that its community supports it fully. 
Rt Hon Winston Peters 
: Are his comments that Mr Tamihere was both insightful and expert in these matters— 
Hon Steve Maharey 
: I just said “insightful”. 
Rt Hon Winston Peters 
: —well insightful in these matters—because when John Tamihere was running the Waipareira Trust the application in respect of trainees did not match the application for grants; hence the huge discrepancy at the end of the year? 
Hon STEVE MAHAREY 
: Unfortunately of course I am not responsible for what happened with regard to members before they entered Parliament. I am not responsible for what the member himself did before he entered Parliament. 
Hon Bill English 
: If the Minister is on top of this issue why has he been unable to answer 20 parliamentary questions that I have submitted since March asking for a list of Aoraki Polytechnic’s community education courses enrolments and public funding payments for the 2003 year which finished 9 months ago and why cannot a $45 million Tertiary Education Commission produce that information for one polytech? 
Hon STEVE MAHAREY 
: The member’s questions will always be answered but as he knows because he asked this particular question the issue of validation of course enrolments across the entire polytechnic was at question. It has taken an effort to go back over those enrolments which have now been validated.