NEWSFLASH: TPK Stuffed - No-One Responsible

Wednesday 15 Oct 2003 Rodney Hide Press Releases -- Treaty of Waitangi & Maori Affairs

ACT MP Rodney Hide today welcomed the release of the State Services Commissioner's report on Te Puni Kokiri.

"There are no surprises here. The State Services Commissioner has found that TPK is stuffed. Maori have been saying that for years. I could have told the SSC that for nothing.

"It turns out that it's all no-one's fault. That's no surprise either. That's typical of this government.

"TPK is so bad the review has been suspended and the SSC has been brought in as some latter-day colonist in `an oversight role collaborating with Te Puni Kokiri to achieve long term change'.

"The review also finds that, `Most of the immediate deficiencies, and the need for better performance over the long term, had either been evident to the chief executive and senior management, or were identified in work currently being carried out by the Ministry'. That said, why wasn't it fixed, and who was responsible for not fixing it? Typical of this Government, the report finds out that it was no one.

"Helen Clark has been pouring millions of dollars of hard-earned taxpayers' cash down the dunny through TPK. It's all been to no good effect. It's scandalous the waste of money that has occurred and the opportunities for Maori that have been lost.

"I have said all year that Parekura Horomia is useless and should be fired. The disaster area that is his department just confirms it. There is now turmoil in TPK. The CEO is trying to hang onto the job. His staff don't accept the report. They want to debate the SSC report with the Maori Affairs Select Committee. It's a mess - a department that has had to be taken-over by the State Services Commission, the Treasury and the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet.

"And yet the CEO and Minister all stay in place.

"The trouble is that Helen Clark thinks it fine stick Maori with a second-rate department and a third-rate Minister," Mr Hide said.

ENDS

For more information visit ACT online at http://www.act.org.nz or contact the ACT Parliamentary Office at act@parliament.govt.nz.

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