Results from Mana slow

Press, 13 March 1987, Page 1

Results from Mana slow

By

OLIVER RIDDELL

in Wellington

As many as two-thirds of the Mana scheme projects, for which Government funds have been approved, have yet to get off the ground, although the result has been much better in some parts of New Zealand than in others.

The delay has had two main causes — some of the projects for which approval was given were not researched adequately, and there is confusion about how the funding works.

Some people thought the projects would be funded by the Government but in February the Mana executive officer, Mr Ross Himona, said the projects would be funded by low-interest loans. The Labour Department and the Minister of Employment, Mr Burke, both thought the projects would be funded by Government grants. However, the operation of Mana is the responsibility of the Board of Maori Affairs and not the Labour Department.

Mr Himona said in early February that of the 85 businesses that had received loans, only two were faltering.

On March 1 he said that the Mana board would seek a further $4O million in 1987-88.

On December 11, Mr Burke had said Mana had already led to the creation of 332 full-time and 234 part-time jobs. On March 1, Mr Himona said Mana had led to 300 fulltime and 600 part-time jobs. The Opposition spokesman on labour, Mr Bill Birch (Nat., Franklin), said it was extremely doubtful — on information from throughout New Zealand — that the number of jobs claimed by Mana projects had actually been created.