Parata avoids Novopay apology

Education Minister Hekia Parata. Photo / Getty Images

Education Minister Hekia Parata avoided apologising this morning over Novopay, after being asked six times if she would say sorry over the school pay roll debacle.

Talent2 chief executive John Rawlinson was asked for an apology outside his Melbourne home on Sunday by a Campbell Live reporter and responded that he was really deeply sorry.

Ms Parata wasn't as quick to apologise when asked this morning on her way to a National caucus meeting.

She did, however, receive applause from members of caucus as she entered.

When asked why she wouldn't apologise after Mr Rawlinson had, she replied: "I've made it clear from the outset that I wanted teachers to be paid, paid on time, paid correctly and that's what we've been working toward to making happen and I'm confident that the ministerial review will find, as Steven Joyce has said, that there is enough blame to go around in the eight years that this project has been in development."

When asked if experts who advised her should apologise, she said: "I think we all need to work on getting the system right".

Prime Minister John Key said an apology was unnecessary.

"I think what's more important than saying sorry, because any politician can say sorry, is to provide a genuine answer to teachers and actually the public about if things went wrong why they went wrong.

"I think what teachers want is a bit of reassurance that there's going to be a solid platform that they'll get paid in the future. If I was a teacher I'd want reassurance rather than an apology."

Mr Key said he was not concerned with saying sorry because he believed other people had also let teachers down over Novopay.