Power Simon: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
Power Simon: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
[Volume:641;Page:10825] 
11.  
SIMON POWER (National—Rangitikei) 
 to the  
Minister of Corrections 
: Does he have confidence in his department; if so why? 
Hon DAMIEN O'CONNOR (Minister of Corrections) 
: 
 Yes but there is always room for improvement. 
Simon Power 
: Is it his Government’s policy to allow parole for a convicted rapist who has served only 2 years of a 7-year sentence and then to fail to tell the victim that the offender was being granted home detention? 
Hon DAMIEN O'CONNOR 
: No. 
Simon Power 
: Can the Minister confirm that when the victim of Peter McNamara contacted his office on Thursday 2 August she was told that it was not the office’s responsibility and that it had not received a report on the case yet the Parole Board told her that it had put in a report to his office the day before; if not why else would the victim say: “Everyone else has put up their hand and apologised yet the Minister’s office says: ‘It’s got nothing to do with us.’ ”? 
Hon DAMIEN O'CONNOR 
: The Parole Board or an employee of the Department of Corrections who works for the Parole Board did ring my office and notify us of the issue. Once the Parole Board had identified that the victim had not been given the opportunity to appear at the parole hearing the panel was alerted of the serious oversight. The victim was contacted immediately by staff and an apology made. The panel subsequently revoked its decision on Friday 3 August. Mr McNamara’s hearing will be reheard before a different panel allowing time for the victim to prepare and present a submission to the board—and that is the way it should be. 
Simon Power 
: Did his office tell the victim of Peter McNamara that it had not received a report on this case or not? 
Hon DAMIEN O'CONNOR 
: We had not received a report on this case. We had been notified of the issue by the Parole Board. It is not appropriate at all for me to have any input into the Parole Board’s operations. 
Tariana Turia 
: Kia ora Madam Speaker. Tena tatou katoa. Why did the Government use $137 million to build a facility at Ngawha despite being told not to by the Northland Regional Council which refused to give resource consent for the construction of the prison by Ngapuhi who told the Government that the site was geologically active and unsuitable for major construction and by local residents who warned that it would cost millions to maintain the facility at Ngawha because of slumping and corrosive gases from the geothermal field? 
Hon DAMIEN O'CONNOR 
: A resource consent was eventually given for the Ngawha site. Approval to proceed on that site was signed off by the previous National Government which was fully aware of all the geo-technical challenges of that site at that time. 
Simon Power 
: Can the Minister confirm to the House now that Ngawha prison is actually sinking despite— 
Hon Rick Barker 
: Ha ha! 
Simon Power 
:—well Rick Barker can laugh but he should check his facts—his predecessor’s claims that “The site is not physically inappropriate.” and “There are no expected future problems with site stability.”? 
Hon DAMIEN O'CONNOR 
: Ngawha prison is a facility of 37 buildings extending over 190 hectares. One corner of one building has settled and a crack of 10 millimetres has appeared. Not even the skinniest of prisoners could get out of that. This in no way threatens the integrity or the operation of Ngawha prison. 
Simon Power 
: Madam Speaker— 
Madam SPEAKER 
: No there are no further supplementary questions. 
Simon Power 
: I seek the leave of the House to ask the Minister a further supplementary question. 
Madam SPEAKER 
: Leave is sought. Is there any objection? There is no objection. 
Simon Power 
: Can the Minister confirm the contents of a memo he received from his department that states that the Ngawha site “was known to have geo-technical difficulties”; and as the cost of building the prison has ballooned from $40 million to $133 million how much more will it cost the taxpayer in light of the fact that the liability period for defects under the collaborative working arrangements system of contracting lapsed in March 2006? 
Hon DAMIEN O'CONNOR 
: I can confirm that the situation is being monitored and there is one corner of one building where settling may continue. I say that yes we were very aware of the geo-technical problems with that site. So too was the previous National Minister Mr Clem Simich who signed the agreement to proceed with the prison fully aware of all the geo-technical challenges of that site. 
I seek to table the signed agreement of 8 November 1999 signed by Mr Clem Simich to proceed with Ngawha prison— 
Document by leave laid on the Table of the House. 
Simon Power 
: I seek leave of the House to table a memo dated 8 November 2005 where the Ngawha site was described as having cracks identified— 
Document by leave laid on the Table of the House.