Poor-performing Maori ministry gets minder

By RUTH BERRY political reporter

The State Services Commission wants to be Te Puni Kokiri's minder and monitor the overhaul of the Government department yesterday labelled the poorest performer.

It followed the release of a critical SSC review into TPK's management, commissioned after it provided Maori Affairs Minister Parekura Horomia with wrong answers to parliamentary questions.

TPK monitors Maori broadcasting funding agency Te Mangai Paho, where the answers to questions asked by Act MP Rodney Hide initially came from.

Mr Horomia was seriously embarrassed in Parliament this year when the mistakes were revealed.

The report found they had led Mr Horomia to "lose confidence in his officials' ability to provide [him with] accurate and timely support".

Mr Horomia said yesterday no heads would roll and he expressed his confidence in chief executive Leith Comer.

But State Services Minister Trevor Mallard refused to express full confidence in the ministry's ability to tackle its problems, suggesting a watching brief will be kept on Mr Comer's performance.

Asked whether the ministry could turn itself around, Mr Mallard said: "I'm confident that they are determined to do it. I want to see results before I express full confidence in them."

The report centred on Te Puni Kokiri's monitoring of Te Mangai Paho and its support services to Mr Horomia - which it said were inadequate.

Two wider-ranging reports were expected but State Services Commissioner Michael Wintringham said these were on hold.

Mr Mallard said this was because the problems in management were "pretty clear" and it was better to get on with an overhaul, rather than wasting more time on reviews.

"A strategic plan has to be put in place. Following that work will be done on the structure of the organisation."

TPK had started to change "but there's a lot more work to be done".

Mr Mallard said he didn't know of any Government department that had "performed as poorly as this. But every now and again we have agencies that have their ups and downs. One will remember not long ago an organisation called Winz which came pretty close."

As things improved "the support systems will move back".

Ironically the review found that improved structures "would not necessarily have affected the information apparently concealed" by Te Mangai Paho employee Tame Te Rangi, who resigned after it was revealed he had been involved in a conflict of interest.

The review also found the quality of TPK's monitoring of Te Mangai Paho was typical of Crown entity monitoring.

But it identified other problems, including a silo mentality in the ministry, between TPK and the minister's office and TPK and Te Mangai Paho. Senior staff failed to understand or anticipate risks and to manage them once they arose. As well, the bureaucracy was cumbersome and ineffective.

The report said the advent of Maori television had placed Te Mangai Paho under "serious and mounting stress".

Mr Hide again called for Mr Horomia's resignation. "I have said all year that Parekura Horomia is useless and should be fired. The disaster area that is his department just confirms it."

Mr Comer said Te Puni Kokiri's activities had grown and changed, and internal and external expectations of Te Puni Kiri focus areas had also grown and changed.

Te Puni Kokiri

* Also known as the Ministry of Maori Development.

* Has a $50 million a year budget and nearly 400 staff.

* Once a 'one-stop shop' for Maori, but downsized in the nineties to become a primarily policy ministry.

* Labour Government gave it a small service delivery arm again. Involved in "capacity building" and economic development initiatives.

* About 150 staff in regions where ministry will expand its presence.