Kohanga Reo Probe A Complete Whitewash
Kohanga Reo Probe A Complete Whitewash
19 MARCH
2014
Responding to last night’s release of the independent audit into Te Kōhanga Reo National Trust, Jordan Williams, Executive Director of the Taxpayers’ Unionsays:
“The late night press conference and mischaracterisation of the report by the Ministers is shameful. The Ernst Young review did not even look at the key allegations at Te Pataka Ohanga. It’s not vindication, it’s a whitewash.”
“The key allegation that public money, meant for teaching kids, was used for dresses, fuel and cash withdrawals, was ignored.”
“The fact that the alleged misappropriation occurred within a subsidiary company and not Te Kōhanga Reo National Trust is irrelevant. What other publicly funded entity can avoid audit scrutiny by simply creating a subsidiary company? If this attitude was the norm, the public audit process would be meaningless.”
“The characterisation by Hekia Parata that the Trust's commercial arm does not receive taxpayer funding is cute. TPO provides support to individual kōhanga reo and receives funding via them."
“Instead of getting to the bottom of the allegations, Hekia Parata and Dr Pita Sharples have chosen to turn a blind eye to what are serious allegations,” concludes Mr Williams.
The report is
available here:
http://www.minedu.govt.nz/theMinistry/InformationReleases/TeKohangaReoNationalTrustPublicFundingReview.aspx
The
statement from the Minister and Associate Minister of
Education is here:
http://beehive.govt.nz/release/release-independent-audit-te-k%C5%8Dhanga-reo-national-trust
ENDS
ENDS