Minister approved OIO consent despite investigations
new-zealand-labour-party
Mon Jun 27 2016 12:00:00 GMT+1200 (New Zealand Standard Time)
Minister approved OIO consent despite investigations
Monday, 27 June 2016, 8:39 am
Press Release: New Zealand Labour Party
David Cunliffe
MP for New Lynn
Land Information Spokesperson
Associate Education (Tertiary) Spokesperson
MEDIA STATEMENT
26 June 2016
Minister approved OIO consent despite death and investigations
Louise Upston must say if she knew Intueri was being prosecuted for the death of a student and under a funding investigation when she approved its overseas investment consent to buy another education provider, says Labour’s Land Information and Associate Education (Tertiary) spokesperson David Cunliffe.
“Intueri Education Group was granted an OIO consent to buy the NZ Institute of Sport in 2015. At the time the Tertiary Education Commission (TEC) had been investigating funding irregularities at Intueri for over a year and Intueri was being prosecuted for the death of a student.
“The day after the consent was issued Intueri’s dive school was convicted for its role in the tragic death of a student in 2014. Four days later, the Serious Fraud Office launched an investigation into Intueri.
“It beggars belief a consent was granted in those circumstances, especially given Louise Upston was both Land Information and Associate Tertiary Education Minister.
“An otherwise insipid report into the OIO released on Friday stated that Ministers must take into account ‘offences or contraventions of the law’ when assessing the character of applicants.
“Yesterday, Intueri was ordered to repay $1.47 million of taxpayer funding after a Deloitte investigation found that student enrolments at its dive school ‘could not be validated’ and it had under-delivered by up to 40 per cent on its contracted teaching hours from 2010-2015.
Advertisement - scroll to continue reading
“The OIO should be checking with other government agencies to see if there are any issues with an applicant. That either hasn’t happened with Intueri, or ministers have chosen to ignore these serious issues.
“Louise Upston needs to explain exactly what she knew about the probity issues at Intueri when she signed off on consent last year,” says David Cunliffe.
ends
Advertisement - scroll to continue reading
a.supporter:hover {background:#EC4438!important;} @media screen and (max-width: 480px) { #byline-block div.byline-block {padding-right:16px;}}
Using Scoop for work?
Scoop is free for personal use, but you’ll need a licence for work use. This is part of our Ethical Paywall and how we fund Scoop. Join today with plans starting from less than $3 per week, plus gain access to exclusive Pro features.
Join Pro Individual Find out more
Find more from New Zealand Labour Party on InfoPages.