Conflict of interest among wananga audit terms of reference

Possible conflicts of interest involving the chief executive of Te Wananga o Aotearoa, Rongo Wetere, and members of his family, and payments to councillors and staff are among the focus of an Auditor-General investigation into the embattled institution.

A draft copy of the audit was released last month, to allow those involved to respond, but a date for the release of a final report has not been set.

The terms of reference were released on Thursday at a Waitangi Tribunal hearing considering a claim that the Government's dealings with the wananga breached a Treaty settlement.

The terms of reference are:

* The wananga's procurement policies and practices relating, in particular, to transactions where councillors, employees, and/or their close relatives are involved.

* The international travel policies and practices.

* Selected payments made to councillors and/or employees, in relation to their involvement with entities controlled by the wananga.

* The identification and management of conflict of interest in relation to the Mahi Ora, Kiwi Ora and Greenlight programmes.

* The relationship and transaction between the wananga and the Aotearoa Institute Te Kuratini o Nga Waka Trust ( and its subsidiaries).

* The implementation of the wananga's capital acquisition strategy in relation to selected recent purchases.

* The processes used when the wananga employed close relatives of the tumuaki/chief executive.

* Any other issues the Auditor-General considers relevant.