Karen Chhour
ACT Children spokesperson
Further revelations on 1News show the poor process that has been followed at Oranga Tamariki in employing Matthew Tukaki, and raise questions about why the Government continues employing him.
Oranga Tamariki is meant to be caring for our most vulnerable, it does not bode well to see them appointing someone seemingly unqualified and potentially untrustworthy to a role without even checking his CV.
Mr Tukaki incorrectly invoiced the Government department for $60,000 extra – close to three months of work that didn’t happen, and didn’t pay the money back until he was leaving the role.
This is an indictment on the leadership at Oranga Tamariki, Kelvin Davis as the Minister in charge, and Matthew Tukaki himself.
Kelvin Davis shrugged his shoulders when questioned about the appointment of Tukaki without a proper CV check. If he did his due diligence then perhaps this overpayment wouldn’t have happened.
Oranga Tamariki needs to be helping our most vulnerable children and giving them the best chance in life. Instead, it is bogged down in controversy and served with poor leadership from the Minister.
Tukaki is a highly political person, acting as a commentator who praises the Labour Government and calls Opposition MPs names like “grubs” and “thugs.” His payoff for publicly endorsing Labour are plum jobs that he may not even be qualified for.
Kelvin Davis needs to explain how he got this role, whether he stands by his appointment and what steps he’s taking to ensure nothing like this happens again.
