Cunliffe David: Oral Questions — Questions to MinistersText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeCunliffe David: Oral Questions — Questions to Ministers[Sitting date: 17 September 2015. Volume:708;Page:6797. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]10.Hon DAVID CUNLIFFE (Labour—New Lynn) to the Minister for Tertiary Education Skills and Employment: Does he require high standards of governance from tertiary education provider boards?Hon STEVEN JOYCE (Minister for Tertiary Education Skills and Employment): It is certainly my expectation that tertiary education organisations have a high standard of governance. In regard to requiring it tertiary institutions are of course autonomous institutions. They have primary responsibility for their own governance and management. My ability to require such matters is of course subject to the provisions of the Education Act 1989.Hon David Cunliffe: I seek leave to table a document compiled by the Parliamentary Library that sets out the duties and responsibilities of directors under the Companies Act 1993 in particular section 135(a)which requires—Mr SPEAKER: Order! It does not need further description. I will put the leave. Leave is sought to table that particular document prepared by the Parliamentary Library. Is there any objection? Yes there is.Hon David Cunliffe: Speaking to the point of order Mr Speaker.Mr SPEAKER: No no. I put the leave. It has been declined.Hon David Cunliffe: Does he believe that the board of the Taratahi Agricultural Training Centre has complied with its obligations under the Companies Act 1993 when Deloitte found serious and systematic breaches such as 67 tutors being enrolled as students multiple courses being under-taught and overcharged and inflated attendance numbers while—Mr SPEAKER: Order! The questions need to be concise.Hon David Cunliffe: —its board chair publicly downplayed the board’s responsibility saying that it was just mistakes administrative errors and a systems hiccup?Hon STEVEN JOYCE: In regard to those matters which are canvassed in a report commissioned by the Tertiary Education Commission it is my responsibility to ensure through the Tertiary Education Commission that organisations meet their responsibilities. They have not in this case and funding is being repaid. It is a matter for the board of that organisation to respond to the matters raised in the report and of course I would note for the member that there is a Serious Fraud Office investigation currently being undertaken into some of these matters.Hon David Cunliffe: Can he confirm that Mrs Mavis Mullins was a ministerial appointee to the board of the Taratahi Agricultural Training Centre in 2012 and that her elevation to the role of chair was confirmed by Ministers this year; and can he now express his confidence in her as chair of that organisation given that she—Mr SPEAKER: Order! That was two questions and it is still going on. The Minister can answer either of those two questions.Hon STEVEN JOYCE: I can definitely confirm that Mavis Mullins is the current chair of the organisation—I think that was one part of the question.Hon David Cunliffe: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. The question was whether he can confirm that she was a ministerial appointment—Mr SPEAKER: Order! The difficulty with this situation is that the question went on and on and on. The Minister has attempted to answer it. I advise members to keep their supplementary questions concise and then I can assist them.Hon David Cunliffe: Why did he say that he was “surprised and disappointed” at the level of issues at the Taratahi Agricultural Training Centre laid out by Deloitte and is it because he has lost control of his portfolio and has no idea what is going on in that organisation or across the sector?Mr SPEAKER: The Hon Steven Joyce—again either of those two questions.Hon STEVEN JOYCE: No not at all. I have been aware of those matters for some time and have been fully briefed on them. My level of surprise and disappointment was that they had occurred.Hon David Cunliffe: Can the Minister confirm his answer to a parliamentary question yesterday when he said that he had no idea that Barbara Kuriger MP was a member of that board?Hon STEVEN JOYCE: No the member is wrong. The member asked a two-part question; I answered the second part.