5355 (2026). Hon Kieran McAnulty to the Minister of Housing

5355 (2026). Hon Kieran McAnulty to the Minister of Housing: Further to his reply to Question 1493 (2026), why did Kāinga Ora contact the services of Plato Services Limited to deliver a prototype solution to support the digital management of the Housing Delivery System and how much, if anything, was the company paid for that contract?

Hon Chris Bishop: Kāinga Ora – Homes and Communities advises me that Plato Payments Limited was contracted to deliver a bespoke workflow tool that enables Kāinga Ora to plan, schedule, and track all tasks involved in designing and constructing homes. As a core Lean Management tool, it monitors progress against expected timeframes, forecasts required resources, and tracks consultant activity for accurate invoicing. This workflow tool is utilised daily to manage the full delivery process. Following successful completion of the prototype, Kāinga Ora undertook a further engagement with Plato Payments in October 2024 to progress the solution from prototype to an operationally deployable platform. This phase was also direct‑sourced, as Plato Payments was assessed as the only provider reasonably able to continue development of the initial prototype given its existing technical knowledge and the continuity required to complete the work. This is also my response to WPQ 5359 (2026), 5366 (2026) and 5367 (2026).