This text first appeared at rnz.co.nz and is republished with permission.
Immigration Minister Erica Stanford has issued a scathing takedown of her ministry, saying officers “intentionally withheld” info from each her and the earlier Labour authorities a couple of failed expertise improve.
Showing earlier than MPs at a Scrutiny Week look on Tuesday morning, Stanford stated Public Service Commissioner Sir Brian Roche would examine “integrity issues” raised by a damning overview.
Sitting alongside her, Ministry of Enterprise, Innovation and Employment chief government Nic Blakeley supplied an apology to MPs and stated he took accountability on behalf of his division.
“I’m dedicated to studying from this and implementing change.”
An impartial report launched by Immigration New Zealand (INZ) recognized main flaws within the division’s dealing with of a biometric improve mission, leading to a waste of greater than $30 million.
The report’s writer Greg James stated INZ launched the mission in 2018 with out ministerial sign-off, then pivoted to an “off-shelf mannequin” in 2020 with out due diligence.
He stated officers persevered regardless of a number of purple flags, together with delays, missed milestones and important inadequacies.
“Regardless of escalating prices, the mission continued for a number of years earlier than in the end being stopped [in 2025], having delivered no measurable advantages whereas incurring important price overruns.”
The report discovered ministerial reporting all through had been inconsistent, “at instances overly optimistic, and sometimes misrepresenting the true standing of the mission”.
Chatting with MPs, Stanford stated this 12 months’s Funds included a $31.2 million write-off of the mission.
“After seven years, MBIE by some means spent tens of thousands and thousands of {dollars}. Not solely do we now have nothing to point out for it, however we are actually ready of getting to keep up the present growing older infrastructure whereas a brand new answer is sought.”
Stanford stated the findings have been “very critical” and “nearly as unhealthy because it will get”.
“Firstly, ministers have been misled. Secondly, folks have been moved from the mission after they raised issues. And thirdly, and that is fairly critical, inventive accounting practices had been undertaken to maintain prices of the mission under Cupboard’s mandated restrict,” she stated.
“These are terribly critical findings of the report.”
