Tracey Martin MP

Spokesperson for Education
16 November 2012

Education Ministry Has A Secret Novopay Agenda

New Zealand First says the Government’s response to the Novopay fiasco to sack the very staff working to resolve the teachers’ pay botch-up reeks of a secret agenda.

Education spokesperson Tracey Martin says this course of action by the Ministry of Education is beyond madness.

“The continual disruption since the roll-out of Novopay has increased the school administration workload and the Ministry is now going to slash backroom ministry staff.

‘’Add to this the fact that the new system puts the onus of data entry onto school administration staff and this starts to look like a deliberate cost cutting staff reduction move by the Government.

“It might make sense if the faulty Novopay system hadn’t already cost New Zealand taxpayers $30 million.

“This Government is fast becoming like an episode of The Office,” says Ms Martin.

ENDS

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Scoop Business: Bathurst Gets Nod For DoC Access To Denniston Mine

Conservation Minister Nick Smith has approved access over conservation estate land for Bathurst Resources to develop an open cast coal mine on the Denniston Plateau, above Westport, to the dismay of environmental opponents.

The timing for Smith’s move avoids Bathurst having to resubmit applications for access agreements under the revised Crown Minerals Act, which comes into force tomorrow and would have required public consultation.

The announcement lands in the middle of delicate negotiations between the company, environmental groups and other interested parties that could pave the way to a broader agreement on the Escarpment proposal, whose resource consents are still subject to court appeals. More>>