Trustees Should Front up, Explain Or Resign

Reacting to the news that Te Kohanga Reo National Trust is refusing to identify which of its board members received a $50,000 off-the-books koha payment, Jordan Williams, Executive Director of the Taxpayers’ Union says:

“Who do these people think they are? $50,000 of taxpayer money, meant for kids, was used for an off the books gift and they’re not explaining why, or who received the money.”

“Why the secrecy over this gratuitous payment? Either front up and explain, or resign.”

“Education Minister Hekia Parata’s statements this week that the EY report cleared the Trust have been shown to be demonstrably wrong. The EY probe carefully dissected around the key allegations relating to the Trusts’ commercial subsidiary. It has raised more questions than it’s answered.”

“It appears that any SFO investigation will not cover the original allegations relating to cash withdrawals, fuel and frocks. The Minister needs to stop turning a blind eye, get to the bottom of the allegations and make clear that if the Trust can’t get its act together, the taxpayer funding will stop. Kohanga reo is too important to New Zealanders for it to be so mismanaged.”

Last year the Trust received $92 million in government funding.

ENDS

© Scoop Media