Clark's eyes on stalks over wananga allegations

The cabinet is expected to decide today how to deal with the allegations surrounding education provider Te Wananga O Aotearoa, and Prime Minister Helen Clark says she wants answers.

New Zealand's largest tertiary institution is facing several claims that taxpayer money has been misused and that relatives of executives have benefited.

The latest allegation is that the wananga spent about $500,000 to build a driving range and putting green at Te Awamutu Golf Course for golf studies attended by 25 students last year.

Helen Clark said today she did not know whether ministers were aware of the golf course allegation before it was published in the Sunday Star Times.

"One looks at these stories and one's eyes go out on stalks," she said on TV One's Breakfast programme.

"This is the sort of issue the Auditor-General is going to have to get to the bottom of."

The Government called in the Audit Office in August last year after becoming concerned about some issues at the wananga.

Since then the allegations have multiplied, and Beehive sources have told NZPA that when the Cabinet meets today it will consider an independent review of the wananga, which is something the institution has itself called for.

"We want some answers," Helen Clark said.

"At the start of the parliamentary year... I said we wanted value for money and low quality courses and low quality providers couldn't expect to survive.

"We meant it."

The Government has already appointed a crown observer, Brian Roche, to the wananga council.

Last week the council said it had nothing to hide and asked for an independent inquiry so it could clear its name and get on with educating its students.

Act MP Ken Shirley, who first raised allegations in Parliament, wants a commissioner to take immediate control and a ministerial inquiry.

"It is clear we now need both," he said yesterday.

"A ministerial inquiry is required to get to the bottom of this sorry saga."

Allegations against the wananga, which gets $239 million a year for about 40,000 students, include claims that members of the executive and their relatives have benefited through contracts which were not put to tender.

- NZPA