Shirley Ken: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
Shirley Ken: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
[Volume:625;Page:19882] 
10.  
Hon KEN SHIRLEY (ACT) 
 to the  
Minister of Education 
: What action if any is he taking to investigate the validity of enrolments and courses completed at Te Wananga o Aotearoa which received some $239 million of taxpayers’ money last year? 
Hon TREVOR MALLARD (Minister of Education) 
: 
 I have asked the Tertiary Education Commission to investigate all allegations of dubious enrolments as they have emerged. As I have already said I am not satisfied that that wananga has operated either ethically or appropriately and action will be taken to address that. 
Hon Ken Shirley 
: Did the report of Graeme McNally the Crown’s former representative on the council of Te Wananga o Aotearoa—reported to the Minister last year—raise the issue of fraudulent enrolments and why is the Minister refusing to release that report following my request under the Official Information Act? 
Hon TREVOR MALLARD 
: The reports of the Crown observers and Crown managers are not generally released for reasons of commercial confidentiality. 
Lynne Pillay 
: What steps is he taking to address other concerns relating to Te Wananga o Aotearoa? 
Hon TREVOR MALLARD 
: Heaps and even more will happen. A Crown manager has taken control of the finances. The Tertiary Education Commission is renegotiating its charter to ensure that it focuses on its core role. I have appointed new members to the council including Wira Gardiner. And the Auditor-General is conducting an inquiry into conflicts of interest and inappropriate use of taxpayers’ funds. 
Simon Power 
: Is he satisfied that the Tertiary Education Commission and the New Zealand Qualifications Authority processes for checking any falsified enrolments at the wananga are satisfactory; if not what further action does he intend to take to ensure that any such failures are rectified? 
Hon TREVOR MALLARD 
: The Tertiary Education Commission and the New Zealand Qualifications Authority do not do a student by student check on enrolment forms. That would take the bureaucracy to a level that I think would be inappropriate. Where there are complaints and things are drawn to their attention investigations do occur. I know that in at least one case Mr Shirley has drawn some things to our attention. The National Party has tended to defend Rongo Wetere but this Government is determined when each case is brought to— 
Judith Collins 
: That’s ridiculous. 
Hon TREVOR MALLARD 
: That is not ridiculous. The leader spent the day at Ratana wandering around with Rongo Wetere. I do not know why those members do that but they are pretty stupid. 
Hon Brian Donnelly 
: Did the report of the financial review of Te Wananga o Aotearoa by the Education and Science Committee tabled in December 2004 contain a minority report by the ACT party expressing its concerns about financial mismanagement at the institution; if it did not how does the Minister interpret that omission? 
Hon TREVOR MALLARD 
: Having looked at that report as part of my official duties I cannot remember seeing such a—I am checking with the member; I did not miss it on the way through. All we can say is that it they are continuing to be slack. 
Hon Ken Shirley 
: How can the Minister claim that the Auditor-General’s investigation will uncover inappropriate use of taxpayers’ moneys when investigation into the validity or otherwise of enrolments is specifically excluded from his terms of reference? 
Hon TREVOR MALLARD 
: Because I understand that the Auditor-General consulted with the Tertiary Education Commission and satisfied himself that it was an inappropriate way to deal with that matter. If there has been fraud in the end it will not be a matter for the Auditor-General; it will be a matter for the police.