Conflict of interest report to be released

An audit report into potential conflicts of interest related to a controversial $90 million Government technology project is set to be released.

The Ministry of Health has confirmed it will be releasing the Audit NZ probe into the ministry’s handling of a controversial review into the flailing National Oracle Solution project.

It comes after National Party associate health spokesman MP Shane Reti accused Health Minister David Clark of trying to bury the report, with multiple requests for information on the review rebuffed.

The Oracle project is still expected to eventually replace district health boards’ ageing finance and supply chain systems, but delayed deadlines and millions of dollars worth of cost blowouts have drawn heavy criticism.

The ministry eventually brought in consultancy firm Deloitte to review the project, despite Deloitte owning the information technology company, Asparona, which was chosen to deliver the project.

The ministry then brought in Audit NZ in January, to conduct a review.

Eight months on, the details of that audit have still not been released.

A spokesman for Clark confirmed the Audit NZ report had never passed through his office – it was the ministry’s report and the ministry’s to release. An official information request for communications related to the report was answered with a summary of its contents that the ministry had relayed to the minister.

Multiple written questions from Reti to Clark, asking for details and costs of the report have failed to bring forward anything more than brief summaries.

The Ministry of Health had only received one request from Parliament’s health select committee to release the report. It follows an appearance in front of the committee by Audit NZ and the Auditor-General’s office nearly two weeks ago, where MPs on the committee said they wanted the report released.

The ministry confirmed yesterday that it would do so.

Reti said that there had been repeated approaches to the ministry and others to release the report.

‘‘I think that will really be dancing on the head of a pin, when it’s quite clear that the select committee and all the approaches to date have been: release this report.

‘‘So whoever the owner is, if they wanted to obfuscate and try and pass the responsibility for who actually owns the report, I think those are just more signs of trying to avoid what obviously is not going to be a good report.’’

Summaries released by Clark have already said it was critical of the ministry’s handling of the Deloitte review.

‘‘Audit New Zealand’s provisional findings are that both the ministry and Deloitte did not deal with the identification and management of perceived conflicts of interest as well as would have been expected.’’

The health select committee is expected to next meet on Wednesday.

Once the committee has accepted the report, it is typical procedure for the committee to table it in Parliament and the report will then be made public.