37339 (2026). Hon Willow-Jean Prime to the Minister for Children

37339 (2026). Hon Willow-Jean Prime to the Minister for Children: Further to 36297 (2026), how, if at all, do the Cabinet Manual provisions cited apply to the Minister not viewing the Oranga Tamariki CCTV footage?

Hon Karen Chhour: My answer to WPQ 36297 (2026) incorrectly referred to Paragraph 3.57(a), which relates to the relationship between Ministers and companies in the public sector, not departments. Paragraph 3.9 of the Cabinet Manual 2023 states that Ministers “. . . are generally not involved in their agencies’ day-to-day operations.” I also refer the Member to Paragraph 3.37, which states that Chief Executives “. . . must act independently in matters such as the appointment, promotion, or disciplining of individual employees. They are not responsible to their Minister in such matters. Generally, the duty of independence and the obligation to act as a good employer will make it inappropriate for a chief executive to involve their Minister in any staffing matter.”