Chris Hipkins
Acting Education Spokesperson

28 January 2013

Joyce’s charm offensive won’t fix Novopay

It will take more than a charm offensive by Steven Joyce to sort out the on-going debacle that is Novopay, Labour’s acting Education spokesperson Chris Hipkins says.

“This shambles has gone on long enough. It’s been over six months since Novopay was given the green light, yet we are seeing new problems emerging on pretty much a daily basis.

“The main message to schools from ‘Mr Fixit’ so far appears to be ‘don’t hold your breath’. That’s a total cop out. Schools should be focused on teaching kids, not spending hours in the office cleaning up bureaucratic bungles caused by the government.

“Steven Joyce needs to put a contingency plan in place urgently, so that if Novopay still isn’t delivering in two months’ time he can kick it to touch.

“He also needs to review how such a fundamentally flawed system was ever given the go ahead.

“Schools need solutions, not excuses. Steve Joyce needs to start delivering them.”

ENDS

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"Unlawful, Unjustified And Unreasonable": Report Into Urewera Raids Finds Police Acted Unlawfully

Independent Police Conduct Authority Chair Judge Sir David Carruthers said today that the decision by the then Commissioner of Police to undertake the operation in Ruatoki Valley and elsewhere on 15 October 2007 was reasonable and justified.

“However, the road blocks established by Police at Ruatoki and Taneatua were unlawful, unjustified and unreasonable... Police had no legal basis for stopping and searching vehicles or photographing drivers or passengers,” he said...

The report also showed that the detention of the occupants at five properties examined by the Authority was unlawful and unreasonable. More>>