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Housing New Zealand's property improvement team spent more than a quarter of a million dollars on six conferences at expensive resorts, the corporation has revealed.
It has told Housing Minister Maryan Street there will not be any more at those locations because "reasonable caution in spending" will be observed and "high-profile venues" are off the list.
The Government has been embarrassed by disclosures this week of extravagant conference spending, and National has made the most of it by recalling a pledge Prime Minister Helen Clark made in 1999 that there would be "no more squandering money on luxury resorts".
She said that after another Government department, Winz (now Work and Income), staged a spectacular conference with a price tag of $235,000 - only slightly less than the $253,274 cost of the six that Housing NZ has held.
The Winz chief executive at the time, Christine Rankin, did not have her contract renewed.
Until yesterday the details of only two of the Housing NZ conferences were known: one at Tongariro Lodge this month and another at Hotel du Vin in 2003. The full list was released yesterday.
Chief executive Lesley McTurk said she had initiated a review of staff development which would include the use of conferences.
The review would also deliver details of the number and cost of all the conferences Housing NZ had held over the past decade.
In Parliament yesterday, Ms Street was again questioned by National's housing spokesman, Phil Heatley.
He asked why successive housing ministers had allowed conferences at luxury venues for years, given Helen Clark's promise to end extravagant spending.
Ms Street said she wrote to Housing NZ chairman Pat Snedden, who replied: "There will be no repeat of the use of high-profile venues that fail to reflect the corporation's commitment to reasonable caution in spending on internal conferences."
Ms Street initially defended the Tongariro Lodge conference, even though Helen Clark told her not to, and State Services Minister David Parker suggested Dr McTurk's pay should be cut.
Mr Heatley asked Ms Street yesterday if she received advice from Helen Clark before Tuesday's question time in Parliament.
She replied: "I have been the beneficiary of the Prime Minister's advice before, during and after."
- NZPA
