Parata stuffs up again!

[reality]

mm..sounds like a gracious person..seldom found in public life...good to see her admitting mistakes...and learning from them

[Lovelee]

what mistakes?

[reality]

i dont know ...could yopu shed some light...I know mistakes from this Govt are very few...but surely there must be some little mishaps somewhere



PM defends Parata's performance

By Claire Trevett CTrevettNZH , Audrey Young
5:08 PM Thursday Jan 24, 2013 

Hekia Parata has drawn strong criticism for her handling of education initiatives and problems. Photo / Ben Fraser
Prime Minister John Key mounted a strong defence of Education Minister Hekia Parata today in a speech during annual Ratana celebrations.

Mr Key said that while there had been many calls to sack her, he did not know of anyone who was more committed to Maori educational achievement.

He said earlier this week that Ms Parata had made mistakes last year in her first year as Education Minister but she had done a lot of things well and he had confidence in her.

Ms Parata was there, too, as part of the National Party delegation being welcomed onto the Ratana marae.

She talked to reporters, the first time since the resignation late last year of Education Secretary Lesley Longstone following a breakdown in the relationship between the two women.

Ms Parata refused to discuss the resignation other than saying she acknowledged Ms Longstone's service and wished her well.

But she admitted she had made mistakes.

"There were one or two mistakes that I need to learn from but facing towards 2013 we have got a world class education system but that needs attention and that's what I am focusing on.''


She would not elaborate on what she considered her mistakes to be, saying it was not her role to critique what had happened.

But she said that she had clear expectations from Mr Key "which I intend to meet''.

She said she was focused on the Christchurch restructuring plan, decisions on which are due to be announced in late February. Last year she visited the 36 schools earmarked for merger, closure, or relocation.

"I've reviewed all the submissions that came in over Christmas and I'm considering the recommendations of those submissions.''

She would be talking directly to the schools involved.

By Claire Trevett

[Lovelee]

LOL so yr happy to say ...

mm..sounds like a gracious person..seldom found in public life...good to see her admitting mistakes...and learning from them

but u dont know what her mistakes were,  what if one of them was something really serious?

The silly woman had to flip flop 3 - 4 times last year, I wonder what he count will be this year.

[Lovelee]

And she sure as hell isnt the only Maori woman in the country who has childrens education at heart .. or whatever his claim was ... how damned stupid!

[reality]

LL..."dont know what her mistakes were"


...thats what we want...no mistakes...thanks John Key and National

[Lovelee]

DUH!

[Lovelee]

uhoh!   this is mouth before brain stuff



Education Minister Hekia Parata has been blasted for calling it "karma" that staff in her own ministry had not been paid, as she faced more controversy on her first day back.

Ms Parata, who survived a Cabinet reshuffle last week, was asked on her way into Parliament yesterday if she had been briefed on Education Ministry staff not being paid today,

"Yeah, karma eh," she replied.

She then added: "I understand it was human error, the wrong date was entered in the instruction, so they weren't paid yesterday - but they're being paid today."

The comment was quickly linked to the problems with the Novopay system which has caused pay headaches for school staff for months.

Ministry staff are paid through a separate payroll system.

The Public Service Association national secretary, Brenda Pilott, slammed Ms Parata for her response, saying ministry staff had worked hard to try to solve Novopay issues.

"The minister should not be making such flippant remarks about ministry staff which, at the same time, seem to make light of the whole Novopay debacle," Ms Pilott said.

"The fact is there are many ministry staff who have been working very hard to try and pick up the pieces and help fix the Novopay problems.

"For their minister to then turn around and joke about the fact they themselves haven't been paid is pretty unacceptable.

"What would be real karma is for Hekia Parata not to be paid."

During the first question time of the year yesterday opposition parties tried to target her over the resignation of Education Secretary Lesley Longstone, but the questions were passed to Minister for State Services Jonathan Coleman because the Government deemed it an employment issue.

Prime Minister John Key said he didn't know what Ms Parata had said, or the context in which she had made her comment, and would not say whether she should apologise.

But Labour's education spokesman, Chris Hipkins, said true karma would be if Ms Parata apologised for her comments. "How would Hekia Parata feel if she didn't get paid until Novopay was working? Now, that would be karma," he said

Karma is a Buddhist concept linking a person's actions as determining the reality of their state in life.

Ms Parata was spared losing her ministerial role in Mr Key's Cabinet reshuffle two weeks ago, partly on the basis that she was one of the Government's best communicators.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10862370

[reality]

wow...we're all getting a bit precious now...it sounded like an off the cuff joke....dont think that would cause offence to many..dont really think this is a hanging offence

[Newtown-Fella]

Novapay is not a NZ company .....

its run by Talent2 and Australian company http://www.talent2.com/home

[Lovelee]

wow...we're all getting a bit precious now...it sounded like an off the cuff joke....dont think that would cause offence to many..dont really think this is a hanging offence

I would imagine all those around her are extra sensitive at the moment .. this was her staff she was talking about ..

[reality]

yeah...nah..I was aware of that..

....dont worry..i'm sure us taxpayers will see them right..i'm sure public servants throughout the country probably have the most secure and easiest jobs in the country.. I thought thats  why people join the public service..easy ride, good conditions, unlikely to be sacked or laid off

[Kiwithrottlejockey]

....dont worry..i'm sure us taxpayers will see them right..

So says the idiot who couldn't "hack it" living in ENZED, so fled across the Ditch like a terrified rat! 

← ← ← ← ← ← ← Reality

[reality]

Excuse me....is there a doctor in the house?

...I think we have a patient requiring urgent psychiatric attention

[Lovelee]

....dont worry..i'm sure us taxpayers will see them right..

So says the idiot who couldn't "hack it" living in ENZED, so fled across the Ditch like a terrified rat! 

← ← ← ← ← ← ← Reality

[reality]

watch out Bwuss...I think your arse may be getting a jolly good licking

[Newtown-Fella]

watch out Bwuss...I think your arse may be getting a jolly good licking

you gonna be doing it reality ?

[Crusader]

Teachers that aren't paid on time should charge interest. That's what happens when they miss a bill, they get charged interest.

[reality]

"Teachers that aren't paid on time should charge interest. That's what happens when they miss a bill, they get charged interest."


yeah...and they should get payed monthly

[reality]

you gonna be doing it reality ?

...good likeness...but Bwuss isn't quite so good looking

[Kiwithrottlejockey]

[Kiwithrottlejockey]

[Lovelee]

Staff in Hekia Parata's office lasted an average 4.6 months before she became a minister, newly released information shows.

The revelation raises fresh questions about Ms Parata's relationship with her staff after a departing senior private secretary laid a personal grievance complaint, and former education secretary Lesley Longstone walked away with a $425,000 payout.

Information provided by Speaker David Carter shows that, between January 2009 and November 2010, five staff worked in Ms Parata's office - with an average tenure of 4.6 months.

None of those who left underwent an exit interview, despite being offered one. One severance payment was made in the 2009-10 financial year as part of a "full and final settlement signed by the then mediation service of the Department of Labour".

Mr Carter refused to release further details about the former staff members or the payout, citing privacy implications and because, he said, it was not in the public interest.

However, in answers to written parliamentary questions, Mr Carter also confirmed that, since June 2009, there had been seven staff employed in Ms Parata's electorate office for an average tenure of 9.14 months.

Labour MP Chris Hipkins said Ms Parata needed to work on her people skills, and the latest revelations were further evidence of her poor leadership style.

"The turnover of staff working in Hekia Parata's office is alarming," he said. "A successful minister of education needs to have a wide network of collaborative, trusting relationships. Clearly Hekia Parata is incapable of developing that."

Ms Parata declined to comment.

http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/8520279/Parata-staff-lasted-4-months-before-her-rise

[Newtown-Fella]

slow news day .......

wonder how long staff stayed under Helen Clark ?

oops that doesnt matter does it ...

[Kiwithrottlejockey]

Well....at least Helen Clark had a brain which functioned and which could actually remember important stuff.

Unlike your hero John Key!