Can't Control Your Ministry? Resign Then!

new-zealand-first-party

Fri Aug 03 2001 12:00:00 GMT+1200 (New Zealand Standard Time)

Can't Control Your Ministry? Resign Then!

Friday, 3 August 2001, 11:40 am
Press Release: New Zealand First Party

New Zealand First Leader, Rt Hon Winston Peters, is asking why Judith Tizard is still a minister after she allowed the waste of $831,000 on a logo and admitted she cannot control her own ministry, and cannot even ask for things to be cost-effective.

Mr Peters was responding to Ms Tizard’s comments in The Dominion this morning in which she said that she could “not get into the business of quibbling with Creative New Zealand about what they have spent and whether they could have done it cheaper.”

“That is a hopeless thing for a minister to say. She is the Minister and is therefore responsible. Ultimately the $831,000 bucks stop with her. For her to say that she cannot control spending goes against the whole concept of ministerial responsibility.

“If Ms Tizard cannot control the spending of her own ministry, and does not even believe that she can be held responsible for her ministry’s spending then it is time to find someone else who is willing to be accountable,” said Mr Peters.

“I will be writing to the Prime Minister and will be asking her to sack Ms Tizard for abrogation of responsibility. I am hoping that Ms Clark does not also cop-out because Ms Tizard is her friend. Dover Samuels was sacked for less, and so was Ruth Dyson. The amount is three times as much as Christine Rankin spent on the flight to Taupo and she was also sacked.

“Ms Tizard may not be a lawyer, but she should at the very least have some idea about how the law works if she expects to be a minister. The $831,000 spent is totally wasted—the Trademarks Bill currently before Parliament will make the logo worthless. Any first year law student could tell you that you cannot copyright an entire culture, yet Ms Tizard had to spend $831,000 to find that out, “ concluded Mr Peters

ENDS

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