13374 (2026). Tangi Utikere to the Minister of Transport

Written Question

Published date: 23 Apr 2026

Metadata

Document type:	Written Question
Parliament number:	54
Question number:	13374 (2026)
Question asked:	09 Apr 2026
Member asking:	Tangi Utikere
Portfolio:	Minister of Transport
Minister replying:	Hon Chris Bishop
Answer received:	19 Apr 2026
Status:	Question Answered
Reply type:	Reply
Document ID:	WQ_13374_2026
Document guid:	377c2193-ae4b-47d3-8dbf-9d5a3e6e02e3

13374 (2026). Tangi Utikere to the Minister of Transport: 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?

Hon Chris Bishop: 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.