28 January 2013

Joyce Lets Teachers Down Again Over Novopay

It is time for Government Ministers to become accountable for the Novopay fiasco says New Zealand First Education spokesperson Tracy Martin.

“Steven Joyce has indicated that the Government is likely to stay with the $30 million Novopay system, which is cold comfort for the thousands of school employees around the country who have been struggling with Novopay’s errors for months.

“Education Minister Hekia Parata signed off on the system, which came with no back-up plan, on the advice of her associate Craig Foss who has somehow managed to keep his place in cabinet.

“It’s been a litany of monumental errors for the Government, yet Mr Joyce insists on persevering with what is clearly a nightmare for the education sector.

“Mr Joyce has stated that next week's pay round will be particularly challenging, but that’s not good enough.

“It’s time ministers in this Government started asking the right questions over the botched pay system and became accountable for their decisions,” says Ms Martin.

ENDS

© Scoop Media

Gordon Campbell: On Failures Of Care For Those With Mental Disabilities

Hard to imagine a more disturbing insight into the treatment of the vulnerable than the Health Ministry report on Te Roopu Taurima o Manukau. The Ministry has found that the country’s only kaupapa Maori intellectual disability residential care provider has been “seriously dysfunctional.”

The ministry says the business has failed to recruit and retain quality staff – and says the kaimahi (caregivers) that have been employed are seriously unsuitable for the job, lacking basic knowledge. But Te Roopu Taurima o Manukau doesn’t get all the blame. The report says there’s a significant gap under disability laws to ensure there’s oversight by qualified clinical professionals. More>>