SSC Report into the NZ Immigration Service
October 3rd, 2008 at 12:36 pm by David FarrarThe SSC Report is online here. Here are the conclusions of Commissioner Iain Rennie:
Mr Shanks’ report shows that Mary Anne Thompson was involved with six immigration-related procedures relating to members of her family in 2004 and 2005. Although the investigation finds no evidence that Ms Thompson’s family members were seeking preferential treatment, the report is clear that her involvement resulted in them receiving personal benefits that they would not have normally received if she had not held her position in the Department.
A clear statement of fact that there was preferential treatment.
Ms Thompson’s behaviour was wholly inappropriate on two counts. First, it consistently breached the Department’s clearly-stated requirements for staff to disclose potential personal conflicts to their manager before taking any action. Secondly, the long-standing expectation of State servants, outlined most recently in the Code of Conduct for the State Services, is that they are trustworthy. This includes not acting in a way that may improperly benefit our family or friends or groups in which we have a personal interest.
Ouch.
Overall, the Department did not deal with the issue in a timely or effective fashion up to the end of 2007 and because of ineffective investigations Ms Thompson was consequently dealt with in a manner that was too informal and lenient in relation to the conduct she displayed.
In particular, the actions taken by Dr James Buwalda, the Chief Executive of the Department of Labour until May 2007, were not effective in terms of clearly establishing what was happening and dealing with the conflict of interest. Concerns about visa waivers were first raised with Dr Buwalda, in 2005. The informality of Dr Buwalda’s engagement with Ms Thompson around his concerns at that time led her to consider that he thought the issue was of little consequence.
Now that Departmental CEOs are being paid over $500,000 a year salary, we should be expecting much better from them than this.
If you read the report in detail you see that Dr Buwalda deserves most of the criticism. He had numerous reports coming to him from staff concerned about Thompson’s involvement, and he did little to manage the problem or to assert authority.
Thompson made some serious errors of judgement. She did not seek special favours, but should have been aware that her involvement would create problems. If her CEO had been more onto it, then it might have all been sorted at an earlier stage.
Related posts:
- More revelations re Immigration Service
- Armstrong on Immigration Service
- Wider Immigration probe
- Dom Post on Immigration Service
October 3rd, 2008 at 12:47 pm
No matter how good your policies and procedures are, staff will be able to circumvent them. If you’ve got checks and balances which work they’ll get caught quickly – it’s obvious from this report those safeguards weren’t working.
Vote:October 3rd, 2008 at 12:47 pm
The real issue, which this report was not asked to look into, is the matter of Thompson’s fraudulent claim to have a Doctorate. Had she not got a job in the PM’s department on the basis of having a Ph.D she probably would not then have been appointed to the Immigration job, and in turn she would not have been able to act corruptly in facilitating visas for her family.
It all goes back to her fake CV being accepted without any checks having been done before she was first employed in Government. I await the Auditor-General’s report on this issue.
Vote:October 3rd, 2008 at 1:34 pm
Ahhh Doctor James Bewilderd strikes again!!!!!!!!
Vote:October 3rd, 2008 at 2:27 pm
Aaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh. is this the same Buwalda that Dr McCully used to refer to as the Dr Bewildered !!!
I recall reading in the blod that some cabinet minister wrote to McCully say that he shouldnt call the guy bewildered.
Seems though that McCully was right.
[DPF: It was in fact the previous State Services Commissioner who asked McCully to stop calling him that!]
Vote:October 3rd, 2008 at 2:40 pm
the issue of the PHd is a separate issue than her family’s applications to me.
It is something that she will have to face whatever agency for.
So let me get this right.
She did use her position/status to strong arm her families applications with the organisation she led.
her family got benefits they shouldn’t have from this.
her family are in NZ as a result.
Why have they not had their apps rescinded?
Why are they still here?
how do they expect anyone else to behave professionally if they do nothing?
I realise it seems harsh to the family but to do nothing means we don’t mean what we say.
Vote:October 3rd, 2008 at 2:41 pm
Just a quick piece of feedback but I find the italics a lot harder to read than just straight block quotes for long quotes. Might be just my old eyes – not sure what others think. Cheers
Vote:October 3rd, 2008 at 3:52 pm
agreed GPT
Vote:October 3rd, 2008 at 3:59 pm
Who is this Dr Buwalda character? Immigrant, or NZ born? Just curious.
Vote:October 3rd, 2008 at 4:11 pm
Reason # 957 why there should be a Commission of Inquiry into Government corruption. It should examine events from
Vote:Writ Day 1999 until Writ Day 2008. Civil servants should be included.
October 3rd, 2008 at 7:07 pm
Will Mr Bewildered pay back his bonuses,I wonder? And of course the MAT could do worse than repay any she received while in charge.
I see tonight that she is blathering about how she has been a loyal public servant for 20 years and hopes to become one again when all this is sorted out.
What is it with these people? Sir Hulen Davis thinks she’s done no evil, Winston still thinks he is as pure as the driven snow and twat heads like Thompson, Wintringham , Preeble and et al seem to think that their behavoir is apparently normal.
Jees this outfit needs a bloody good clean out.
Rot always starts at the top.
Is it just me or do others notice all these fat woman and their male mates who seem to inhabit these positions. Mealy mouthed slimy scumbags.
Vote:October 3rd, 2008 at 9:46 pm
It would appear that the Department allowed the import of 6 x more of Thompsons family and friends from Kiribati, than they allowed Investor Immigrants.
Still they all had Doctorates (bought on the Internet?)
Vote:October 5th, 2008 at 11:36 am
Yes Viking2 … like you I was ‘fascinated’ by her comment that she hoped to resume her career after this all blows over.
But perhaps she knows something we don’t. I mean when you have a Government that sets the standards bar so low and retains as a Minister of the Crown someone found guilty of lying and accepting gifts in contravention of the Cabinet Manual then anything but anything is possible.
Vote:October 5th, 2008 at 11:48 am
During Thompson’s tenure the Immigration Dept went from bad to worse. I was involved with at least three separate cases of motivated, educated, hardworking young would-be immigrants who were treated abysmally by the department and eventually gave up and left the country. Come to think of it, probably none of them would have voted Labour.
Meanwhile mates and rellies got a free ticket. No doubt they also have the right politics.
Vote: