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June 15, 2015
No illegal activities ever says Kohanga co-chair
Waatea Team
Posted On June 15, 2015
The co-chair of Te Kohanga Reo National Trust, Tina Olsen-Ratana, says all allegation of misspending by the trust have proved groundless, and it’s time to move on.
Maori Television’s Native Affairs programme will tonight air an interview with former trust board member Toni Waho whose allegations that the board had not been full and frank about the problems besetting it led to a loss of confidence in its governance by Education Minister Hekia Parata.
Ms Olsen Ratana says the trust has now been through 11 investigations, including a Waitangi Tribunal inquiry that found long term underfunding on Maori medium early childhood education.
She says no financial wrongdoing was found, including at commercial subsidiary Te Pataka Ohanga.
"There’s been no illegal activities at all. What they have found however in those reviews are system improvements and that’s what we’ve done, we’ve adopted all those sorts of things into the organization and our systems and processes have been upgraded," she says.
Tina Olsen Ratana says the board has decided to take no further action against its former chief executive Titoki Black and former Te Pataka Ohanga head Lynda Tawhiwhirangi, who both had to pay back personal credit card spending.
Copyright © 2015, UMA Broadcasting Ltd: www.waateanews.com
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