Media Statement 9 June 2014

TE ROOPU TAURIMA O MANUKAU TRUST

Te Roopu Taurima O Manukau Trust CEO Malcolm Robson says the organization is committed to the PWC forensic audit that commenced today and to the active investigations that relate to allegations made by former employees of the trust regarding the spending of trust funds. The trust is cooperating with investigating authorities who can act on any claims made by former employees.

At the same time, Mr Robson says the trust and its staff remain focused on the needs of mokopuna in its care.

Mr Robson says the trust is in a difficult position because it not able to respond to the issues raised by former employees, which relate to a number of different investigations by various government authorities and the independent forensic audit, the latter of which is expected to take a number of months to be completed by PWC.

“What we can say is that the trust board and management are working hard on all of the investigations and audits, and with the support of advisers and the relevant authorities we intend to reach a timely conclusion of these processes.”

Mr Robson had served as a Ministry of Health monitor to the trust before being appointed CEO in July 2013. “We were investigating potential mistakes in spending long before the period the former employees refer to. We fully accept that we may have missed things, and this is why we are pursuing these investigations and the audit. We are doing this thoroughly, and are not going to jeopardize the processes by getting into public debate. We can assure everyone concerned that we will be absolutely open about what is found, in order to restore full confidence in the trust and its operations”.

“Advisers to the Ministry of Health are working closely with us to bring the trust into a new chapter and leave our legacy issues behind us.”

As announced last week, the Ministry of Health has launched a number of processes including:
• A forensic audit of the trust’s operations by an independent auditor, commencing 9 June;
• The provision of two advisers to the trust CEO;
• A board transition process for the Te Roopu Taurima O Manukau Trust board, including the appointment of consumer advocate David Russell as a board adviser.

Serious Fraud Office representatives were on-site at the trust’s head office in Auckland last week, and that the trust will cooperate fully with any and all requirements of the SFO. “We have had an initial conversation and it will be the purview of the SFO to discuss the scope and terms of any investigation that may eventuate,” Mr Robson says.

Te Roopu Taurima O Manukau Trust is a charitable trust providing disability support services to approximately 250 mokopuna. It has approximately 500 staff and its head office is based in Auckland.

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