Turia Tariana: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume 
Turia Tariana: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
[Sitting date: 13 March 2008. Volume:645;Page:14910. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.] 
7.  
Hon TARIANA TURIA (Co-Leader—Maori Party) 
 to the  
Minister for ACC 
: What contracts is Te Rupeketanga Trust currently receiving from the Accident Compensation Corporation (ACC) and what is the total amount of contract funding being provided to Te Rupeketanga Trust from ACC? 
Hon RUTH DYSON (Acting Minister for ACC) 
: The trust has three contracts with ACC: the first for employment maintenance the second for transitional job search and the third for work-ready programmes. The contracts were effective from 24 January this year. All three are on a fee-for-service basis. 
Hon Tariana Turia 
: Is it appropriate for an organisation that is only 8 weeks old to receive fee-for-service contracts and why did ACC not have confidence in the ability of existing organisations in the health sector to administer those contracts rather than it wasting money on setting up yet another bureaucracy? 
Hon RUTH DYSON 
: My understanding from advice received from ACC is that the three contracts were actually transferred from a previous organisation to a new organisation which was set up as a marae-based organisation because the previous provision of service did not attract any clients. 
Louisa Wall 
: Kia ora Madam Speaker. What actions is the Labour-led Government taking to ensure that Maori are participating in accident compensation schemes? 
Hon RUTH DYSON 
: As the House will be aware Maori have traditionally had a low uptake of accident compensation entitlement. Our Government is taking steps under the Maori access strategy to address that such as appointing community-based kaiawhina to assist Maori access to the scheme by providing information on accident compensation matters; piloting six Maori community relationship organisations again working with ACC at a local level to promote access to the scheme; and targeting communication and resources through Maori media. 
Hon Tariana Turia 
: The contract with Te Rupeketanga Trust is for the area from New Plymouth right down to Wellington; what relationship will other Maori health providers have with Te Rupeketanga Trust and why has another tier of bureaucracy been added to the relationship between ACC and Maori services in implementing the Maori access strategy? 
Hon RUTH DYSON 
: My understanding is that the trust is now marae based which it was not previously under its former incorporation. It is working with Ngati Ruanui Tahua Society and is linked closely with its health clinic and primary health services which is a good thing. But actually the trust’s contracts are not for health service provision; they are for employment maintenance transitional job-search and work-ready programmes. 
Hon Tariana Turia 
: How concerned will the Minister be to know that a substantial amount of funding has been given to someone who provided Maori policy advice to ACC that resulted in ACC establishing these contracts with that same person and is this another example of conflict of interest in awarding contracts? 
Hon RUTH DYSON 
: The situation that has been outlined by the member could raise concern about potential conflict of interest. On the basis of the information provided in that question I am sure the corporation will be investigating any such potential conflict of interest.