Government rejects call to ban bounty hunters

By MATHEW DEARNALEY

The Government has rejected calls to scrap a Maori and Pacific preschool enrolment scheme and claims to have shut loopholes through which it paid bounties of up to $2275 a child.

It also promises not to give new contracts to organisations which brought the scheme into disrepute.

But Act MP Rodney Hide says he cannot believe the Government intends ending a freeze on new contracts in Auckland and Northland, imposed after reports of rorts by agents claiming fees for non-existent children or those already at preschools.

"The entire approach to preschool education for Maori has become mercenary - the funds should be spent on children's education, not just bums on seats," he said yesterday.

His comments follow the release under the Official Information Act to the Weekend Herald and himself of Education Ministry files disclosing efforts by officials to rein in agents after audits found irregular fee claims.

Those investigated included three interlinked Manurewa organisations which milked more than $1.5 million of the scheme's national outlay of $7 million.

National has cited the scheme as another example of race-based funding, and several Maori educators contacted by the Weekend Herald expressed anger with the bounty hunters for giving Opposition politicians ammunition for alleged Maori-bashing.

Although the Government says most contractors worked diligently to enrol 5280 youngsters who would otherwise not have received early education, Mr Hide says the figures cannot be trusted.

The ministry is unable to tell how many youngsters stayed at preschools, or for how long, but said yesterday it had tightened a prototype contract to require minimum attendance of three months.

Mr Hide is unmoved by the increased minimum, saying the scheme's whole rationale is "dopey".

"Who would take education dollars and pay bounty hunters to enrol kids?"

Mr Mallard said it was "sad but fairly typical that Act does not give a toss about the need to ensure kids get the chance to receive early education".

"Between 2001 and 2003 the overall increase in participation was 3 per cent, which is good news," Mr Mallard said.