10 July 2002
Te Mängai Päho says an Audit New Zealand report on Aroha Films Limited has shown that the grant the company received was spent on the production of the TV programme series, for which it was intended.

Acting Te Mängai Päho Chief Executive, Don Collier says the audit was carried out because of concerns expressed about the use of funding money.

“Issues were raised and we wanted to reassure ourselves and the taxpayer that the money had been spent where it should have been spent. That is what the audit showed.”

He says it is a good time to remind companies and individuals seeking Te Mängai Päho funding that they must have robust accounting processes in place.

“This is an issue for any company or person seeking taxpayer funding for any project, not just from Te Mängai Päho. We need to ensure that applicants have good systems and can clearly show exactly how the money was spent.

“In this instance there were some areas where improved processes could have been implemented, and these have been passed on to the Directors of the company. However the Audit findings provided Te Mängai Päho with reassurance that funding money had been used appropriately.”

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