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Further to Reply 11431 (2026), if senior leadership were aware of the February 2025 detection when approving the November 2025 media statement, what was the rationale for not referencing that earlier detection in the statement?

Answered Question 13374 (2026)
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Asked by

Tangi Utikere

Member for Palmerston North · Labour Party

Question

  • Further to Reply 11431 (2026), if senior leadership were aware of the February 2025 detection when approving the November 2025 media statement, what was the rationale for not referencing that earlier detection in the statement?

Answered by

Hon Chris Bishop

Member for Hutt South · National Party · Minister of Transport

Answer

In February 2025, previously unknown potential issues were identified but were not confirmed. This particular issue was subsequently confirmed as fraud following the audit that was commenced in July 2025 and completed in October 2025. For this reason, there was no reference in the statement to February 2025.