Details on Novopay Ministerial Inquiry announced
Hon Steven Joyce
Minister with
responsibility for Novopay
4
February 2013 Media Statement
Details on Novopay Ministerial Inquiry
announced
Minister with responsibility for Novopay Steven Joyce today announced details of the Ministerial Inquiry into the education payroll system.
The Ministerial Inquiry is one of five measures the Government announced last week to address the issues surrounding Novopay.
Minister Joyce says the Ministerial Inquiry will be undertaken by former Chief Executive of the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet Sir Maarten Wevers and Chairman of Deloitte New Zealand Murray Jack.
“The Ministerial Inquiry will be a comprehensive fact-finding investigation into all aspects of the Novopay project from the outset to the present day. Its terms of reference will enable the findings of the separate Technical Review to be incorporated into the Ministerial Inquiry,” Mr Joyce says.
“Sir Maarten is a highly experienced and well
respected former member of the public service. He has wide
public recognition with a strong reputation for
independence, trust and integrity, which make him an ideal
person to be involved in this Ministerial Inquiry.
“Murray Jack has extensive experience in reviewing
and advising on issues relating to major information
technology systems, including the review of security
breaches in the Ministry of Social Development’s
self-service kiosks. He is also leading the Technical
Review of the stability of the Novopay system and the data
contained in it. It makes practical sense for him to be
involved in both the Technical Review and the Ministerial
Inquiry.
“My expectation is the Ministerial Inquiry
will report by the end of May following the completion of
the technical review within the next three to four
weeks.”
Costs for the Ministerial Inquiry are estimated to be around $0.5 million and will be met from Ministry of Education’s baselines. The draft terms of reference for the review will be consulted with the sector in the coming days. The inquiry incorporates the previously scheduled Post-Implementation Review.
“It is important that
lessons are learned from the issues with Novopay. Following
the Ministerial Inquiry I will ask the Ministry of Business
Innovation and Employment to work with Treasury, the State
Services Commission and the Government Chief Information
Officer to provide Cabinet with advice about contracting
arrangements in the wider State Sector,” Mr Joyce says.
Besides the Ministerial Inquiry and the Technical
Review , other measures the Government is putting in place
to address the issues with Novopay include a new Remediation
Plan, which will accelerate software stabilisation,
monitoring, enhancements and improved customer service; a
Ministry of Education re-engagement plan with schools; and
investigating a revised Contingency Plan with the previous
payroll supplier.
“While we are putting in place
new measures to address the issues with Novopay, the reality
is those issues remain very complex and will take some time
to resolve. I appreciate how frustrating and time consuming
this is for school administrators, principals, teachers and
other staff. The Government is doing everything it can to
resolve the issues as quickly as possible,” Mr Joyce says.
Biographies of Ministerial Inquiry
Panel
Sir Maarten Wevers
KNZM
Sir Maarten is the immediate past Chief Executive of the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet. He chaired the Better Public Services Advisory Group and led the implementation of the findings of the inquiry conducted into NZ’s intelligence and security agencies.
Sir
Maarten is a former diplomat who served as counsellor to the
New Zealand Embassy in Brussels, High Commissioner to Papua
New Guinea and New Zealand’s Ambassador to Japan. He was
Chair of the APEC Senior Officials Meeting in 1999, during
New Zealand’s year as APEC host.
He is also a
former Senior Manager at New Zealand Post where he gained an
appreciation of the practical operational and systems issues
in large organisations.
Murray
Jack
Murray Jack is Chairman of Deloitte New Zealand. Prior to his current role Mr Jack was the chief Executive of Deloitte New Zealand. He joined the firm in 1976 and has been a partner in the consulting practice for 26 years, spending periods of time with the firm in London (1980-82) and Singapore (1994-99).
His focus has been
on the management of technology, the development of
technology-based businesses, outsourcing, and the use of
technology in government, utilities and telecommunications.
He has extensive public sector consulting experience
in New Zealand and abroad reviewing and advising on the
issues relating to major information technology systems.
He is a current Member of the Financial Markets
Authority, and a former member of the Securities Commission
(2010-11), Ministerial Committee on the Development of a
National Health Information Systems Strategy for NZ (2001)
and the National Health Information Standards Advisory Board
(2002).
ENDS