Parata must share Foss' Novopay shame

Hekia Parata can’t hide behind Craig Foss’ incompetence any longer, with the confirmation that she too signed off on the final decision to roll out Novopay, says Chris Hipkins.

“Hekia Parata has ducked and dived over Novopay, and left her Associate Minister to take the fall for the botched pay system.  But in Parliament today her off-sider Craig Foss had to admit Hekia Parata also signed off on the June decision to go live with Novopay.

“So now we know that the buck doesn’t just stop with the hapless Craig Foss, and Hekia Parata can add Novopay to her lengthy list of failures as Education Minister, which include her abandoned plan to increase class sizes and the appalling handling of Christchurch school closures.

“It is incredible that both Ministers gave the green light to Novopay before they even had the results of system testing.  What are they being paid for if it is not to ask basic questions like “has this been tested and does it work?”

“If there was a National Standard for Ministerial competence, Foss and Parata would get a ‘not achieved,’ says Chris Hipkins.