te Heu Heu’s “answers” spark more questions

The attempt by Pacific Island Affairs Minister Georgina te Heu Heu to diffuse a controversial funding decision has only raised more questions around the Government’s Budget processes, Labour’s MP for Mangere Su’a William Sio said today.

“I am unconvinced by the Minister’s claim that the reason $4.8 million dollars was given to a private company to offer services to Pacific people was that they made a ‘convincing’ case to the Government,” Su’a William Sio said.

“Georgina te Heu Heu’s comments simply confirm Labour’s fears that a contestable tender process for the funding did not take place.

“The Minister has revealed the $4.8 million dollars handed to the Pacific Economic Development Agency (PEDA) came about after prolonged lobbying. She now needs to come clean on who did the lobbying and on what basis.”

Su’a William Sio said Georgina te Heu Heu must better explain what she hopes the funding will achieve.

“For a company that made a ‘convincing’ case to grab nearly $5 million dollars, it seems the Minister does not seem to know a lot about what it will achieve,” Su’a William Sio said.

“The Minister has been light on detail and does not yet know how PEDA will be monitored to ensure the ‘objectives’ she was told would be achieved will be met.

“Many other agencies with a long history of serving Pacific communities up and down New Zealand would have been very interested in tendering for such funding. But that is difficult if the process is being run behind closed doors.

“I welcome Georgina te Heu Heu fronting up on this matter. It would now be helpful if she provided some decent answers.”

ENDS

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