Awatere Huata Donna: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
Awatere Huata Donna: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
[Volume:614;Page:10501] 
9.  
DONNA AWATERE HUATA (Independent) 
 to the  
Associate Minister of Education (Tertiary Education) 
: Has he received any reports on ways in which Carich Training Centre Limited could have repaid money owed to the Tertiary Education Commission? 
Hon STEVE MAHAREY (Associate Minister of Education (Tertiary Education)) 
: 
 Not specifically on that issue. In fact until October Carich was making repayments on an overpayment of funding. It then applied to resubmit its “student data return” for a third time with additional students that would entitle it to additional funding in 2002. In this very unusual situation the onus is on Carich to justify the inclusion of those additional students. Neither Carich nor the receiver have been able to do so to date so there was no basis for Carich’s claim that the Tertiary Education Commission owes it money. 
Donna Awatere Huata 
: Why did the Minister not provide the letter of support that Caron Taurima asked him for which would have enabled her to raise the finance from Westpac bank and others to repay the Tertiary Education Commission the money it was owed and to continue providing services to its students 80 percent of whom Ms Taurima has informed me were Maori? 
Hon STEVE MAHAREY 
: I was not able to provide a letter of support simply because at the time we were talking with Carich it was unable to supply a student data return that justified any of its funding. 
Jill Pettis 
: Was it the Tertiary Education Commission or any other Government agency that put Carich into receivership? 
Hon STEVE MAHAREY 
: No it was not the Government or the Tertiary Education Commission. Creditors other than the Government sought the receivership. The Tertiary Education Commission worked cooperatively with Carich for many months to try to resolve these issues. For instance it agreed with Carich to spread its debt repayments over a longer time period than other providers and agreed to Carich’s request to submit an unusual third single data return. 
Hon Richard Prebble 
: On the question of repaying taxpayers’ money what reports or actions has the Government made or taken to get repaid the hundreds of thousands of dollars paid to the Pipi Foundation which apparently was spent on aeroplane journeys orchard fees and stomach-stapling operations? 
Mr SPEAKER 
: That matter is outside the scope of the question but the Minister may comment if he wishes. 
Hon Richard Prebble 
: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. This is an education matter and you have allowed a widespread range of questions today. I suggest to you that the member asked a question on repaying taxpayers’ education money and we would be very interested to know the answer to my question. 
Mr SPEAKER 
: I will ask the Minister to reply. 
Hon STEVE MAHAREY 
: I can understand the outrage of the member and would urge him to direct his question to the Minister responsible for that Mr Trevor Mallard. 
Hon Dr Nick Smith 
: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. I seek leave for Mr Prebble to ask the question of Mr Mallard the Minister of Education. 
Mr SPEAKER 
: No the member cannot do that only Mr Prebble can.