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SUPPLIED / RNZ
James Shaw in the leaked video of a video conference meeting with members of the Green Party.
The New Plymouth District Council has moved to part ways with the scandal over the Government’s decision to give $ 11.7 million to the Taranaki Green School, after a video was leaked in which the Green Party co-leader, James Shaw told party members that the council was a comrade. “
RNZ released a video of James Shaw during a conference call Friday with members of the Green Party, in which he said Education Minister Chris Hipkins gave tacit approval to the Green School project because of his funding partnership with the Council of the New Plymouth District.
In the video, Shaw said, “He [Hipkins] said that, assuming everything else is equal, as long as the funding partner is the [New Plymouth District] Advice, that is, I agreed with that. “
READ MORE:
* Green School funding: James Shaw contradicts Chris Hipkins on implied approval
* James Shaw says he warned Green School and the Mayor of New Plymouth not to go to Crown for money
* James Shaw calls Green School funding ‘an error in judgment’ while looking for a solution
In a statement Thursday, Shaw said the comment, made during a video conference with party members, was a simple mistake.
“At the time the ministers approved the project, it had been proposed to the council as the contract holder.
“In the end, Crown Infrastructure Partners (CIP) decided not to go for that option and keep the contract themselves,” he said.
“Since the ministers are not involved in the contracting once the projects are approved, I did not know that the CIP had decided to keep the contract itself.”
SIMON O’CONNOR / Things
A grant for the Green School has outraged Taranaki schools and members of the Green Party.
In an emailed statement, New Plymouth District Council Executive Director Craig Stevenson said the council’s only link to the Green School project was that of a regulator for building and resource consents.
He was not a financial partner.
Mayor Neil Holdom had written a letter supporting the project, which the council was aware of.
“The role of the Mayor is to advocate for central government investment and that is why he writes dozens of letters of support for multiple groups, businesses and organizations to ensure that Taranaki gets its fair share of New Zealand’s funding pie,” he said.
The $ 11.7 million in public funds earmarked for the private Green School outraged many Taranaki schools and also angered many Green Party members, as the money goes against the party’s policy of phasing out public funding for private schools.
On Tuesday, Shaw apologized for the decision and said that if he had another chance he would not support the project.
The money comes from the government’s $ 3 billion fund for “shovel-ready” infrastructure, which was seeking dozens of projects to start stimulating the economy.
