Maori Affairs defended

Press, 8 March 1984, Page 15

Maori Affairs defended

PA ' 7' Wellington The Maori Affairs' De-, partment is meeting its commitments to the Maori community and is sharpening its internal organisation, says the Secretary of Maori Affairs, Dr Tamiti Reedy. Dr Reedy described as “superficial” an allegation

by Professor Whatarangi Winiata, of Victoria University’s accountancy department that Maori Affairs underspent its 1982-83 vote by such an extent that it was unfair to Maoridom. In a paper prepared for the New Zealand Maori Council’s meeting this week, Professor Winiata said the

department underspent its 363.4 M vote at a rate that was 11 times as great as the rate of underspending of total Government appropriations that year. The department underspent by a total of ?2M, having fl.lM left in general administration money alone, he said. At the same time, the council lacked funds to carry out urgent research.

Dr Reedy said the department had no discretionary powers in the spending of |I.BM of the approximately S2M underspent. They were mostly operating expenditure items such as staffing, staff turnover, people waiting to take up new appoint-

ments and people being accommodated.

That money came back in the following year’s vote, he said.

The department passed its housing target last year by 64, housing 646 families within the voted allocation.

It also built 244 houses when the target was 232, and bought 402 houses when the target was 350. The allegation that underspending was depriving Maoris was quite incorrect within housing and social services programmes. All grants in those areas, plus vocational training, were "met to the hilt,” said Dr Reedy.