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“He agreed with that, so he gave at least a verbal sign of approval of the project,” Shaw said in the video.
But Hipkins says that was not the case.
“No, look, I think that would mischaracterize the conversation,” he said Thursday.
Shaw even says in the video, “Chris is not one of the budget ministers so he was not intimately involved in the decision.”
Hipkins may be minister of many things, but he is not responsible for the $ 11.7 million in infrastructure funds that the privately run Green School obtained.
When asked if he thought Shaw was not telling the truth about the assertion of verbal approval, Hipkins said, “Look, he can finally explain his thinking and reasoning.”
Newshub has been told that Shaw backs up his comment on that Zoom call.
National Party leader Judith Collins says someone needs to acknowledge it.
“The important thing is that someone is not telling the truth, so they have to decide what it is and then let everyone know,” he said.
Once again, Shaw declined to be interviewed.
He also tried to avoid the media on Wednesday. When Newshub reached out to him, he said he had apologized to Hipkins for firing up the ministers for funding.
“Yes, I have … Specifically Chris Hipkins and Grant Robertson,” Shaw said.
Shaw may need to dust off another apology for Hipkins. Since financing the infrastructure was not the job of the Minister of Education, he simply could not have given it any kind of approval.
