A Doone deal for BIA boss Bill Porteous

The National Party says the decision by BIA boss Bill Porteous to fall on his sword is merely the smoke screen to protect a weak minister.

"This resignation is a sham," says National Housing spokesman Wayne Mapp.

"It's incredible that the man who made such a hash of managing the leaking homes crisis has been allowed to stay on at the BIA in a 'special role' as its chief policy adviser.

"The Government's clearly given him a cushy role out of the public spotlight hoping it'll keep him quiet. "It has the fingerprints of the Labour Government's spin all over it and bears an uncanny similarity to the sidelining of former Police boss Peter Doone," Dr Mapp observes.

"Of course the Minister formerly in charge of the rotting homes crisis was George Hawkins, who's still running our Police.

"Even George Hawkins himself admitted he never read the letters Mr Porteous sent to him about the leaky buildings crisis.

"On top of that, Mr Hawkins never took action after seeing front page stories on the weather tightness issue in newspapers or in the BIA's own internal publication.

"It's now time for Mr Hawkins to fess up and resign and the National Party wants Mr Porteous gone completely from the BIA.

"We called for his resignation last year, but he has to go without strings attached," Dr Mapp says.

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