P.M.’s statement on grant to Mr Orme

Press, Volume CXI, Issue 32636, 18 June 1971, Page 2

P.M.’s statement on grant to Mr Orme

(From Our Own Reporter) WELLINGTON, June 17. The State Services Commission did not grant leave with full pay to Mr A. F. Orme, legal officer of the Christchurch Public Trust Office, because it did not believe that his trip under a Winston Churchill Memorial Trust award would benefit him in his employment.

The Prime Minister (Sir Keith Holyoake) said this today in a written reply to a question by Mrs W. Tirika-tene-Sullivan (Lab., Southern Maori).

Replying in his capacity as Minister of State Services, Sir Keith Holyoake said it was possible for the commission to grant supplementary assistance to recipients of the Winston Churchill Memorial Trust awards on the defined basis “that value would accrue to both the Crown and the employee.”

“Mr Orme is a legal officer, and his proposed study of race relations is not relevant to his duties and responsibilities, either at present or in the foreseeable future,” Sir Keith Holyoake wrote.

"The commission regards the term Crown as denoting the Government and its agencies, and the study is not of value or potential value to the Public Trust office where Mr Orme is employed.

“It has been said, and it is accepted, that the study overseas could be of benefit to Mr Orme as an individual interested in race relations in New Zealand, and that his

efforts could be of benefit to the community. As an employer the commission is, however, concerned in the

administration of rules which are reasonable and consistent and, further, it has a responsibility for taxpayers’ funds, or in this particular case the funds of the Public Trust office derived from estates administered by that office. “Mr Orme applied to the Winston Churchill Memorial Trust for an award of $2500 to undertake four months study in the United States, Canada, and Britain of race

problems which can be related to or compared with New Zealand conditions applying to Maoris and other Polynesians. "On October 30, 1970, the trust was informed by the

Public Trustee that he could not recommend to the commission that Mr Orm*< should be paid salary during his absence overseas if he were granted an award. In November the trust approved an award of $2500.

“Mr Orme did not apply for leave on pay until last month, but in doing so he extended the period cf four months to six months, and submitted a programme in which he intended to visit Fiji, Samoa, Rarotonga, Hawaii, the United States, Canada, Switzerland, England, Wales and Australia.

“Mr Orme has been granted six months leave without pay and has been advised to make application to other bodies which may be able to assist him, such as the Maori Education Foundation.

“For his own reasons, Mr Orme has not been prepared to take this course.”

Mr Orme said last evening that the Prime Minister's reply failed to take into account a number of important factors.

“I respect Sir Keith Holyoake’s comments, but his reasons are still open to serious question. There are many misleading and wrong points in his commentary,” he said. “New Zealanders will, I suspect, wonder where our values have gone when the Government can give salary priority to sportsmen and bandsmen employed by the Government, yet ignore such a serious project as race relations, for which I was granted this award.

"The Prime Minister’s reply does not, for instance, take note of the fact that this year, 1971, is United Nations Race Relations Year, and that the Government has strongly pledged its support on many occasions to the furtherance of race relations. “I regret to say that the Prime Minister’s reasonings are full of flaws, but I would rather make no additional comment on his reply until I have studied it further," said Mr Orme,