NZ Herald
  • Home
  • Latest news
  • Video
  • New Zealand
  • Sport
  • World
  • Business
  • Entertainment
  • Podcasts
  • Quizzes
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Travel
  • Viva
  • Weather forecasts

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • New Zealand
    • All New Zealand
    • Crime
    • Politics
    • Education
    • Open Justice
    • Scam Update
    • The Great NZ Road Trip
  • On The Up
  • World
    • All World
    • Australia
    • Asia
    • UK
    • United States
    • Middle East
    • Europe
    • Pacific
  • Business
    • All Business
    • MarketsSharesCurrencyCommoditiesStock TakesCrypto
    • Markets with Madison
    • Media Insider
    • Business analysis
    • Personal financeKiwiSaverInterest ratesTaxInvestment
    • EconomyInflationGDPOfficial cash rateEmployment
    • Small business
    • Business reportsMood of the BoardroomProject AucklandSustainable business and financeCapital markets reportAgribusiness reportInfrastructure reportDynamic business
    • Deloitte Top 200 Awards
    • CompaniesAged CareAgribusinessAirlinesBanking and financeConstructionEnergyFreight and logisticsHealthcareManufacturingMedia and MarketingRetailTelecommunicationsTourism
  • Opinion
    • All Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Editorials
    • Business analysis
    • Premium opinion
    • Letters to the editor
  • Sport
    • All Sport
    • OlympicsParalympics
    • RugbySuper RugbyNPCAll BlacksBlack FernsRugby sevensSchool rugby
    • CricketBlack CapsWhite Ferns
    • Racing
    • NetballSilver Ferns
    • LeagueWarriorsNRL
    • FootballWellington PhoenixAuckland FCAll WhitesFootball FernsEnglish Premier League
    • GolfNZ Open
    • MotorsportFormula 1
    • Boxing
    • UFC
    • BasketballNBABreakersTall BlacksTall Ferns
    • Tennis
    • Cycling
    • Athletics
    • SailingAmerica's CupSailGP
    • Rowing
  • Lifestyle
    • All Lifestyle
    • Viva - Food, fashion & beauty
    • Society Insider
    • Royals
    • Sex & relationships
    • Food & drinkRecipesRecipe collectionsRestaurant reviewsRestaurant bookings
    • Health & wellbeing
    • Fashion & beauty
    • Pets & animals
    • The Selection - Shop the trendsShop fashionShop beautyShop entertainmentShop giftsShop home & living
    • Milford's Investing Place
  • Entertainment
    • All Entertainment
    • TV
    • MoviesMovie reviews
    • MusicMusic reviews
    • BooksBook reviews
    • Culture
    • ReviewsBook reviewsMovie reviewsMusic reviewsRestaurant reviews
  • Travel
    • All Travel
    • News
    • New ZealandNorthlandAucklandWellingtonCanterburyOtago / QueenstownNelson-TasmanBest NZ beaches
    • International travelAustraliaPacific IslandsEuropeUKUSAAfricaAsia
    • Rail holidays
    • Cruise holidays
    • Ski holidays
    • Luxury travel
    • Adventure travel
  • Kāhu Māori news
  • Environment
    • All Environment
    • Our Green Future
  • Talanoa Pacific news
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Property Insider
    • Interest rates tracker
    • Residential property listings
    • Commercial property listings
  • Health
  • Technology
    • All Technology
    • AI
    • Social media
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology
    • Opinion
    • Audio & podcasts
  • Weather forecasts
    • All Weather forecasts
    • Kaitaia
    • Whangārei
    • Dargaville
    • Auckland
    • Thames
    • Tauranga
    • Hamilton
    • Whakatāne
    • Rotorua
    • Tokoroa
    • Te Kuiti
    • Taumaranui
    • Taupō
    • Gisborne
    • New Plymouth
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Dannevirke
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Levin
    • Paraparaumu
    • Masterton
    • Wellington
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Blenheim
    • Westport
    • Reefton
    • Kaikōura
    • Greymouth
    • Hokitika
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
    • Wānaka
    • Oamaru
    • Queenstown
    • Dunedin
    • Gore
    • Invercargill
  • Meet the journalists
  • Promotions & competitions
  • OneRoof property listings
  • Driven car news

Puzzles & Quizzes

  • Puzzles
    • All Puzzles
    • Sudoku
    • Code Cracker
    • Crosswords
    • Cryptic crossword
    • Wordsearch
  • Quizzes
    • All Quizzes
    • Morning quiz
    • Afternoon quiz
    • Sports quiz

Regions

  • Northland
    • All Northland
    • Far North
    • Kaitaia
    • Kerikeri
    • Kaikohe
    • Bay of Islands
    • Whangarei
    • Dargaville
    • Kaipara
    • Mangawhai
  • Auckland
  • Waikato
    • All Waikato
    • Hamilton
    • Coromandel & Hauraki
    • Matamata & Piako
    • Cambridge
    • Te Awamutu
    • Tokoroa & South Waikato
    • Taupō & Tūrangi
  • Bay of Plenty
    • All Bay of Plenty
    • Katikati
    • Tauranga
    • Mount Maunganui
    • Pāpāmoa
    • Te Puke
    • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua
  • Hawke's Bay
    • All Hawke's Bay
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Havelock North
    • Central Hawke's Bay
    • Wairoa
  • Taranaki
    • All Taranaki
    • Stratford
    • New Plymouth
    • Hāwera
  • Manawatū - Whanganui
    • All Manawatū - Whanganui
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Manawatū
    • Tararua
    • Horowhenua
  • Wellington
    • All Wellington
    • Kapiti
    • Wairarapa
    • Upper Hutt
    • Lower Hutt
  • Nelson & Tasman
    • All Nelson & Tasman
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Tasman
  • Marlborough
  • West Coast
  • Canterbury
    • All Canterbury
    • Kaikōura
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
  • Otago
    • All Otago
    • Oamaru
    • Dunedin
    • Balclutha
    • Alexandra
    • Queenstown
    • Wanaka
  • Southland
    • All Southland
    • Invercargill
    • Gore
    • Stewart Island
  • Gisborne

Media

  • Video
    • All Video
    • NZ news video
    • Business news video
    • Politics news video
    • Sport video
    • World news video
    • Lifestyle video
    • Entertainment video
    • Travel video
    • Markets with Madison
    • Kea Kids news
  • Podcasts
    • All Podcasts
    • The Front Page
    • On the Tiles
    • Ask me Anything
    • The Little Things
    • Cooking the Books
  • Cartoons
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • What the Actual
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / Business

Nanaia Mahuta was associate minister when her husband's firm was awarded Government contract

Kate MacNamara
By Kate MacNamara
Business Journalist·NZ Herald·
22 Aug, 2022 05:00 PM7 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

    Reminder, this is a Premium article and requires a subscription to read.

The Capital prepares for another protest, rogue MP Gaurav Sharma faces judgement and more money for flood-ravaged parts of the country in the latest New Zealand Herald headlines. Video / NZ Herald

A government contract worth $72,299 including GST was awarded by the Crown housing agency to a company co-owned by Gannin Ormsby, the husband of Labour Minister Nanaia Mahuta, in a period when Mahuta had associate ministerial responsibility for housing.

Ormsby's consulting firm, Ka Awatea Services, was engaged in August, 2020 by Kāinga Ora to provide "specialist advice, support and resources" to facilitate six meetings (hui) and 14 workshops to engage with Māori and to provide a "high-level overview" of the agency's Auckland housing projects.

The agency said the meetings and workshops were delivered variously, online and in-person, and lasted roughly six hours apiece.

A spokesman for Kāinga Ora said the Ka Awatea work, "did not fall under the ministerial responsibilities of Minister Mahuta at the time as this was in relation to our urban development programme (which comes under the responsibilities of the Housing Minister)."

Mahuta was Associate Minister for Housing (Māori Housing) when the contract was awarded. The Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet's schedule of delegated responsibilities for associate ministers for the period noted Mahuta's role included work that related to: "ensuring that housing for Māori whānau is appropriately catered for in Kāinga Ora - Homes and Communities initiatives … [and] procurement policies to enhance Māori community development."

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Hinemoa Awatere, acting deputy chief executive - Māori at Kāinga Ora, said there was "no communication with ministers in respect of the selection process" for the Ka Awatea contract, and that "no conflicts of interest were identified at Kāinga Ora."

A spokesperson for Mahuta said: "The contract did not require ministerial approval so no conflict was raised."

Gannin Ormsby declined to comment.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Ka Awatea has been solely owned by Ormsby since late September, 2020. From early July, 2020 to September 26th of that year, the company was co-owned by Ormsby and parties related to Hamilton-based scrap metal dealer Global Metals Solutions.

Awatere said the contract was awarded to Ka Awatea on a "sole source basis" for reasons including that, "the services could only be supplied by one supplier and there was no reasonable alternative or substitute due to the facilitator from Ka Awatea having extensive iwi hui management experience which was critical for the engagement; Ka Awatea were able to commence immediately; some Kāinga Ora staff had worked with the facilitator in the past and they came highly recommended for this engagement."

Discover more

Opinion

Sasha Borissenko: From whisky to Covid-19 face masks - the gifts MPs got

14 Aug 03:00 AM
New Zealand|politics

Losing Little: The inside story of Labour's leadership change - and the rise of Ardern

09 Aug 05:00 PM
New Zealand

Proposal to use Three Waters fund to help council tenants pay rent

03 Aug 05:00 AM
New Zealand|politics

Mahuta meets China counterpart as Taiwan, US tensions rise

04 Aug 11:16 PM

The facilitator, named in Kāinga Ora documents, is (William) Rama Ormsby, a relation of Gannin Ormsby. Rama Ormsby was employed by the Auckland Council as an expert in tikanga (Māori customs and culture) until late 2019.

Nanaia Mahuta and husband Gannin Ormsby. Photo / Supplied
Nanaia Mahuta and husband Gannin Ormsby. Photo / Supplied

Awatere said the contract process followed standard government procedures.
In the process of awarding a similar, smaller contract, the Ministry for the Environment (MfE) identified a sole source contract with Ka Awatea (worth $25,000) as a "major appearance risk" in its procurement plan, documents released under the OIA show.

The department's procurement plan noted: "There is a major appearance risk due to the direct source procurement approach and the perceived conflict of interest that we have been discussing with the rōpū [group] from the outset: Gannin Ormsby is married to Hon Nanaia Mahuta. Nanaia Mahuta is not only an MP and Cabinet Minister, but also an Associate Minister for the Environment (but with no involvement in waste and resource efficiency matters)."

MfE consulted the Public Service Commission on the proposed contract with Gannin Ormsby.

The commission's view, notes show, was that "being the minister's husband should not preclude his [Gannin Ormsby's] involvement [in the MfE work], but that a conflict of interest is present".

"A robust management plan needs to be able to be put in place. Furthermore, perceptions need to be considered and addressed - of attempting to influence MfE and possibly of [the] minister's family having financial gain."

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

MfE put a risk mitigation plan in place, and its process is currently the subject of an internal review.

MfE documents note that department officials extrapolated the commission's thinking on Gannin Ormsby's contract to a second contract the department signed with consultancy Kawai Catalyst, owned by Tomoko and Waimirirangi Ormsby (who are married).

A history of Govt contracts

In October, 2020, the Ministry for the Environment (MfE) hired Ormsby, his nephew Tomoko Ormsby, and his niece by marriage Waimirirangi Ormsby, to a small group providing expert advice on Māori ways of thinking about waste. The contracts totalled $90,000: Ormsby's firm Ka Awatea was paid $25,000, and Waimirirangi and Tomoko Ormsby's consulting firm, Kawai Catalyst, was paid $65,000.

MfE documents said the Ormsbys' services were procured directly, without a tender process, because the work was urgent and the pool of candidates with expertise in Māori ways of thinking about waste was very shallow.

When questioned in May about the MfE contracts, a spokesperson for Mahuta said: "The minister ensures that no conflict exists or appears to exist between her personal interests and portfolio responsibilities, in accordance with the guidance in the Cabinet Manual."

Sam Buckle, deputy secretary of water policy and resource efficiency at the MfE, said in May that the department's steps taken to manage "conflict-of-interest risk" included "no ministerial involvement in the process of identifying rōpū members, deciding on the nature and scope of their contribution, or preparing their contracts"; "assurance members had the expertise we needed"; and "full disclosures of potential conflicts of interest in procurement documents".

Ka Awatea also received a grant of $28,000 from the Ministry of Maori Development's "suicide prevention" fund in April, 2021. Mahuta was then, and remains, Associate Minister for the department. Her ministerial responsibilities did not include the purview of the fund.

The Herald put questions to Mahuta about the grant in June. Relating to matters where she has ministerial responsibility, a spokesperson for her office said: "Where there have been conflicts they have been disclosed to the Cabinet Office. Where there have been conflicts, they are managed appropriately, in accordance with the Cabinet Manual."

In addition, the Department of Conservation engaged Ka Awatea Services in June, 2019, to "support and improve effective engagement with rangatahi [young people] that can enable the department's vision of Papatūānuku [the Earth] Thrives.

The details were supplied by Conservation Minister Poto Williams in response to the National Party's written parliamentary questions. The contract was still active and has paid a total of $11,800.00 excluding GST to date, Williams said this month.

In 2019, as Minister for Māori Development, Mahuta appointed Waimirirangi Ormsby (nee Koopu-Stone) to the group which produced the He Puapua report for her ministry.

Earlier this year, a spokesperson for Mahuta said, "the minister identified the perception for [sic] a conflict of interest and declared it to her colleagues."

Tipa Mahuta, the minister's sister, is also a powerful political figure and active in the area of water governance.

Official documents show that in early 2021 responsibility for appointments to the Māori advisory group to Taumata Arowai (the newly formed drinking water regulator) passed temporarily from Mahuta as Minister for Local Government to her colleague Kelvin Davis. In that period, Davis appointed Tipa Mahuta chair of the water regulator's advisory group.

Tipa is also a Waikato regional councillor, co-chair of the Waikato River Authority, and co-chair of the Māori Health Authority.

Opposition weighs in

Both the National and Act parties have criticised the Government's opaqueness in its handling of contracts awarded to Nanaia Mahuta's family.

The National Party spokesman for transport and public service, Simeon Brown, called on Mahuta to be transparent with the public about the government contracts that have been awarded to her family members.

Brown argued that there is "a pattern of contracts being given to Nanaia Mahuta's husband and family members [which] raises serious questions around conflict of interest, especially in the Kainga Ora case where Minister Mahuta clearly had responsibility for Māori Housing."

In Brown's view: "The public needs to know that an appropriate process was followed: Red flags should have been raised and questions asked about whether it [the contract with Gannin Ormsby] was appropriate given the minister's responsibility for Māori housing … questions should have been asked as to whether Mr Ormsby's company was the appropriate company to do this work."

Save

    Share this article

    Reminder, this is a Premium article and requires a subscription to read.

Latest from Business

Shares

NZ sharemarket set for strong open after US stocks rally 2.8% on US-China tariff announcement

12 May 10:01 PM
Premium
OpinionUpdated

Property Insider: Next steps for Seascape tower but what of Shundi's big Tāmaki plans?

12 May 09:00 PM
Premium
Media Insider

'Unhinged', 'Demeaning': Columnist's C-bomb attack on female MPs - Minister, Stuff, PR bosses respond

12 May 05:06 PM

“Not an invisible footprint”: Why technology supply chains need optimising

sponsored
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from Business

NZ sharemarket set for strong open after US stocks rally 2.8% on US-China tariff announcement

NZ sharemarket set for strong open after US stocks rally 2.8% on US-China tariff announcement

12 May 10:01 PM

US President Donald Trump announced a "total reset" of relations with China overnight.

Premium
Property Insider: Next steps for Seascape tower but what of Shundi's big Tāmaki plans?

Property Insider: Next steps for Seascape tower but what of Shundi's big Tāmaki plans?

12 May 09:00 PM
Premium
'Unhinged', 'Demeaning': Columnist's C-bomb attack on female MPs - Minister, Stuff, PR bosses respond

'Unhinged', 'Demeaning': Columnist's C-bomb attack on female MPs - Minister, Stuff, PR bosses respond

12 May 05:06 PM
Walnut growers get cracking at harvest time

Walnut growers get cracking at harvest time

12 May 05:00 PM
Deposit scheme reduces risk, boosts trust – General Finance
sponsored

Deposit scheme reduces risk, boosts trust – General Finance

NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • NZ Herald e-editions
  • Daily puzzles & quizzes
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Subscribe to the NZ Herald newspaper
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • What the Actual
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven CarGuide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • NZME Events
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP