English Bill: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
English Bill: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
[Volume:619;Page:14661] 
1. Hon BILL ENGLISH (National—Clutha-Southland) 
 to the  
Associate Minister of Education (Tertiary Education) 
: Does he have any concerns about the way community education funding has been used by Christchurch Polytechnic Institute of Technology? 
Hon STEVE MAHAREY (Associate Minister of Education (Tertiary Education)) 
: 
 I do. 
Hon Bill English 
: Why has the Minister’s press release today virtually endorsed a situation where the Government paid $795 for a $5 CD; where the Christchurch Polytechnic Institute of Technology set out to deliberately exploit funding loopholes before they were closed; where only 3 percent of the 18000 enrolled students are known to have completed the course; where of the 18000 enrolments 13000 did not fit the Government criteria and nothing was done; and where senior polytechnic and ministry officials knew about all this and did nothing? 
Hon STEVE MAHAREY 
: My press release today points to the fact that the Tertiary Education Commission has responsibility to deal with this issue but I certainly applaud as did the member that it has regained the $83000 that was improperly used by the Christchurch Polytechnic Institute of Technology. In fact that was the amount of money asked for by that member in a press release. He asked me a question explicitly about that amount of money so he has got what he wanted. 
I have also endorsed the fact that the commission will now be evaluating those enrolments and I hope we arrive at a situation where the polytechnic does pay more money back. 
Lynne Pillay 
: What expectations does he have of organisations that receive public money for tertiary education? 
Hon STEVE MAHAREY 
: I expect that all organisations that receive public money especially public institutions act ethically responsibly and accountably in their use of public money. We are now entering a phase where we are moving from a demand-led to a more strategic approach to tertiary spending. That is where I expect us to go. I believe that is a much better approach than the approach offered by Bill English in which he would sit behind his desk and decide what people learn in institutions in this country. 
Heather Roy 
: How can taxpayers have any confidence in the Labour Government’s spending given that the Minister told the House on 27 November 2001 in response to another funding scam revealed by ACT that he gave an absolute assurance there were no other incidents of this scale? 
Hon STEVE MAHAREY 
: The entire question was abstract. I do not have the faintest idea what the member is talking about. 
Rodney Hide 
: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. [ 
Interruption 
] 
Mr SPEAKER 
: I am sorry Mr Hide. That is the one warning today. There will be no interjections during points of order. 
Rodney Hide 
: The question asked how taxpayers could have any confidence in the Minister. His answer was that he did not understand the question. We are quite happy to put it again but if the Minister cannot explain why taxpayers should have confidence in him as Minister I think the answer is self-evident to the House. I am sure he has to reply to that. 
Mr SPEAKER 
: I am certain he does too. The Minister will please respond. 
Hon STEVE MAHAREY 
: They can have confidence because of course we do hold accountable at every turn people who spend public money. That is what this Government is about. 
Hon Bill English 
: Why is the Minister turning a blind eye to a $15 million scam whereby the management of Christchurch Polytechnic Institute of Technology ruthlessly exploited his rules senior Government officials let it happen no one acted ethically or responsibly and the Minister is not exercising any accountability? 
Hon STEVE MAHAREY 
: I assure the member that I am not turning a blind eye. Today I applaud the fact that we are seeing the return of money used to induce students into the course inappropriately and I applaud the fact that the Tertiary Education Commission and the polytechnic will now evaluate all the enrolments. I am looking forward to seeing more money paid back. 
Hon Bill English 
: Who will be held accountable for the bureaucratic shambles the dishonest behaviour and the lack of professionalism; will it be him and his weak enforcement of his stupid policy his officials who let it happen or the people in Christchurch who did it? 
Hon STEVE MAHAREY 
: In answer to the member’s question concerning who is accountable he will know that the Tertiary Education Commission makes funding decisions under section 159J(4) of the Education Act 1989 so it will be accountable and that the polytech itself has a responsibility to spend taxpayers’ money wisely so it will be accountable and I will make sure they are. 
Heather Roy 
: Which of the following personal achievements in the Minister’s blameless life of excellence does he consider the greatest: the potential misuse of thousands of dollars if not millions at Christchurch polytech; the millions lost on computers supplied to non-existent students at the Practical Education Training Centre in Taranaki in 2001; wasted thousands that went to social entrepreneurs including hip-hop; the tens of thousands— 
Mr SPEAKER 
: The member will come to the point. I have just about had enough of the question. 
Heather Roy 
: —and when will he ever accept responsibility for some of the most inept ministerial stewardship in this country’s history? 
Hon STEVE MAHAREY 
: The member is a new member so clearly her memory is very short. I think the thing I like most in the education area is the 7000 Modern Apprenticeships that are out there today.