Health project has $6.2m blowout
strongly suspecting foul play.
Detective Inspector Tom Fitzgerald talked to Brown, now living in England with the couple’s two youngest children, several times over the phone in 2016.
In February 2017, Inglis and Fitzgerald interviewed Brown in England.
Inglis said there were inconsistencies with his story, which raised more questions than answers, but stopped short of saying Brown was a prime suspect.
‘‘There are others we are interested in, but he is certainly a person of interest to us.’’
The couple’s two children in the United Kingdom were now asking questions about their mother’s disappearance.
Brown changed his benefit from a dual to a solo benefit around the time of Barclay’s disappearance.
The TVNZ show revealed that some forensic evidence, including hairs found in an indented wall, had since been destroyed.
It was also revealed Brown also wiped her old phone, later using it for himself.
Barclay met Brown in 1999 with the couple later becoming engaged. It appeared that relationship was going through difficulties by September 2002.
Friends said Barclay was ready to leave Brown at the time if her disappearance.
In 2014 Brown, who had not returned to New Zealand since leaving the country, told Stuff he was ‘‘perhaps a suspect’’ but denied any wrongdoing.
He believed Barclay was the victim of foul play.
‘‘I struggle sometimes to accept the conclusion that Tania may be dead. It is painful and upsetting and still leaves me feeling like I’m in a bad nightmare,’’ he said.
‘‘I will never give up hope.’’ Inglis asked anyone with information to think of Barclay’s three sons.
Anyone with information about the case is urged to contact the police, or call Cold Case on 0800 2653 2273 (0800 COLD CASE). A national district health board computer system designed to replace ageing finance and supply chain systems blew its budget by more than $6 million.
The National Oracle Solution is jointly managed by NZ Health Partnerships and the country’s 20 DHBs. Until now, health bosses have refused to detail the costs of Oracle, citing commercial sensitivities. However, following a complaint by Stuff to the Office of the Ombudsman, NZ Health Partnerships confirmed Oracle has gone $6.2m over its budget, having already cost taxpayers
$10.5m. Work on Oracle began in April 2015 and was born out of another programme dubbed Finance, Procurement and Supply Chain. Oracle inherited
$10.5m of funding from the supply chain project, which had an overall budget of $88m.
NZ Health Partnerships initially declined to detail how many staff and contractors were assigned to work on Oracle.
It has since confirmed 24 staff and contractors were assigned to it, with two workers based in Christchurch, 15 in Hamilton, six in Auckland and one in Wellington. NZ Health Partnerships chief executive Megan Main said all 20 DHBs had renewed their commitments to Oracle.
It has been hampered by difficulties with allegations of poor communication from those leading the project and low staff morale. A health sector insider said Oracle had suffered from a lack of oversight by its DHB stakeholders.
Oracle isn’t the first IT-related blowout the Waikato DHB has been associated with.
In 2017, it was revealed the Midland eSPACE programme had blown its budget by $28m.
That project, which has had its budget increased from $47m to
$75m, is tasked with overhauling the region’s health records.