Nursing Council audit finds procurement and payment control failures, Auditor-General notified

Résumé détaillé

An audit of contracting and purchasing at the New Zealand Nursing Council has turned up a litany of failures and informal practices. The work has prompted further “investigative…

An audit of contracting and purchasing at the New Zealand Nursing Council has turned up a litany of failures and informal practices.

The work has prompted further “investigative fieldwork”, a briefing to both the Minister of Health and the Ministry of Health (MoH), and a formal notification to the Office of the Auditor-General.

An internal audit of procurement conducted by PwC has concluded that the council has been relying on systems that are without adequate controls, “generally undocumented” and fraught with risk.

The report’s executive summary noted the council’s concern that ”the findings demonstrate widespread and large-scale failings in fundamental management practices – posing major risk to the Council”.

Further investigative work began this month by the council’s external auditor, Baker Tilly.

Part of this work will focus on a large contract for what is known as the Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE) centre, a Christchurch facility where internationally qualified nurses are tested for New Zealand registration. The contract is held by Nurse Maude.

Wide-ranging irregularities around the award of the contract to operate the centre and a separate establishment cost, understood to be over $1 million, were identified by PwC.

The release of the council’s annual report, which was due in September, has been delayed and is now expected in early 2027.

Rob McHawk, on secondment from the MoH, joined the council in August to fill in as interim registrar following the resignation of chief executive Catherine Byrne, who also served as registrar.

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