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Housing New Zealand is to strengthen guidelines for staff conferences
6 October 2008
Housing New Zealand is strengthening its guidelines for staff conferences following a review of major conferences held by the Corporation since its inception in 2001.
The review was ordered in May by Housing New Zealand chief executive Dr Lesley McTurk after criticism of the choice of venue for a conference held at Tongariro Lodge earlier this year.
"Housing New Zealand is committed to being open and transparent with the public," Housing New Zealand chairman Pat Snedden said.
"This review was designed to assess whether controls around staff conferences have been appropriate throughout the Corporation's history, and if not, what immediate improvements are required."
Because of the logistical difficulties involved in searching large numbers of financial records, and obtaining reliable financial and other information years after events occurred, the review was focussed on those staff events which:
- were internally organised by a unit or group; and
- were run at external venues, and included overnight accommodation; and
- incurred a total expenditure greater than $20,000.
A total of 16 events meeting these criteria were identified since 2001. The costs and controls around these events were reviewed, and compared with the decision-making processes around similar events in five other state sector agencies. KPMG was engaged to provide independent assurance of the information informing the review's findings.
"Housing New Zealand has more than 1000 staff around the country delivering services to more than 200,000 people. Occasional conferences for large teams are an internationally accepted tool for ensuring all staff are working together to deliver the same priorities," Mr Snedden said.
"The review has found that although appropriate financial delegations were exercised in the 16 conferences reviewed, and appropriate policies and procedures were followed, there are enhancements that need to be made to Housing New Zealand's guidelines for managers about conferences.
"In particular, more explicit advice is required around the choice of venues for staff conferences, and some streamlining of financial reporting requirements," Mr Snedden said.
"The review has recommended that a list of Corporation-approved venues is adopted, and to ensure this is applied, the booking of staff conferences should be centralised through a third party service provider.
"I have asked Housing New Zealand's chief executive to ensure these improvements are introduced promptly," Mr Snedden said.
Media Contact: Nick Maling, Communications and Media Manager, ph 04 439 3857, 021 229 4105
