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Children's health camps have asked the Government to clarify their funding by 9.30am today before they decide whether to close one or more of their seven camps.
The health camps' board met in Wellington yesterday saying it would be forced to close its camp at Roxburgh in Otago, and eventually a camp at either Rotorua or Otaki, unless they could overcome a $5 million funding shortfall.
Media were told to expect a decision by about 1pm. But board chairman Wayne Chapman said last night that the board kept meeting until 5pm and then decided to postpone the decision until today.
He said the board had been corresponding daily with the Ministry of Social Development since the camps went public with their funding crisis last week. "We are still trying to get some information that will enable us to make some important decisions tomorrow," he said.
"We have received one lot of correspondence but it still doesn't completely answer our questions, so we have asked them to make a response by 9.30am.
"At this stage we have no surety from anyone. We are really no further advanced than we were a week ago.
"We are hoping to be further advanced by tomorrow [Friday] morning."
He said the board had noted a pledge last week by National Party welfare spokeswoman Judith Collins that she would find more money for the camps by cutting other Social Development spending if National won next month's election. But the camps had to make a decision based on their present funding.
