Auditor General considering potential Horowhenua District Council conflicts of interest

The Office of the Auditor General is considering matters raised by members of the public relating to the sale by Horowhenua District Council of its pensioner housing portfolio and "related potential conflicts of interest."

In a letter to former Councillor Anne Hunt, the Office of the Auditor General (OAG) stated, "We are still considering matters you, and others, raised in relation to the sale of pensioner housing, and related potential conflicts of interest. We expect to reach a view on these matters in the near future."

"We will and do consider matters carefully, where they fall within our mandate, as is the case for the questions raised over the pensioner housing sale and potential conflicts of interest," the OAG told Mrs Hunt.

An Audit NZ report for the Year ending 30 June 2017 publicly released by the council in February 2018 revealed the council lost $1.86 million on the sale of the pensioner housing and 1.1 hectrare of bare land.

In February almost sixty people who attended a public meeting by the Horowhenua Ratepayers and Residents Assoc Inc supported calls for an Inquiry into the business dealings of Horowhenua District Council and other matters.

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