No fraud, no criminal activity, no misspending of funds

No fraud, no criminal activity, no misspending of public funds

The National Trust Board of the Kohanga Reo has welcomed the report from the Serious Fraud Office that says it found NO fraud or criminal activity in Te Pataka Ohanga, the Trusts service provider company.

The Trust says it is not surprised by this finding and has been saying all along that there was no fraud involved.

“When this latest report is coupled with the investigation of National Trust activities carried out by Ernst and Young, which found there was NO misspending
of public monies – the Trust and TPO have been cleared of the allegations that
have been leveled at them.”

“After all the unfair and prejudicial criticism we have endured over the past few months we are greatly heartened by this result. It confirms what we have always known and frankly we are owed a few apologies.”

“We are now looking ahead to carrying out the resolutions from the National hui of kohanga reo held at Turangawaewae in April.”

“That hui first of all gave us the mandate to continue running the movement, it called on the government to stay out of the movements business. It set up a working party to examine future governance arrangements for the movement and mandated the Trust to manage that process; and it instructed the Trust to get on with negotiating a settlement with the Crown following the successful claim the Trust took to the Waitangi Tribunal.”

“As a board we can see no further obstacle to the Crown coming to the table to negotiate proper funding arrangements for Kohanga Reo, and other shortcomings the Tribunal identified in the Crown’s dealings with the kohanga movement.”

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