Justice Minister Kris Faafoi has asked Victim Support to be more transparent, following its refusal to release a report into its workplace.
Justice Minister Kris Faafoi says officials would like to see the report. Photo: RNZ / Angus Dreaver
The charity's board is sitting on an independent report into allegations of bullying, bad training and service failure.
Its chair Lorraine Scanlon won't release the document - saying it was never intended to be a public document.
Faafoi told RNZ he is not pleased with that response.
"Justice officials met with Victim Support last week. I think it's fair to say that they weren't, and the read-out I got from the meeting I wasn't, necessarily happy with the response Victim Support was giving to officials.
"I would like Victim Support to be more transparent with their staff."
Officials met with the charity again yesterday to share that message, Faafoi said.
"Justice officials would like to see the report too," Faafoi added.
After last week's meeting, Scanlon said in a statement to RNZ the board would work closely with the Ministry of Justice "to confirm the findings and provide updates on the implementation of key initiatives as a part of our ongoing commitment to improving our service delivery model, worker training, and worker culture and wellbeing".
Scanlon also reiterated the board would not release the report.
"The board's decision to keep the investigation report confidential is entirely out of respect to the privacy interests of those who participated in the independent investigation."
National Party's justice spokesperson Paul Goldsmith said the board's refusal to release the document "feels like a cover up".
"It feels like a cover up and that shouldn't be the case. Transparency is important in this issue because it is ultimately public funds," he said.
"It should be a basic requirement of the money being handed over to the organisation that they are accountable for the way that the place is organised and run."
Victim Support is a charity but receives the bulk of its funding from central government; close to $16 million in 2021, $15 million in 2020 and $13 million in 2019.
Goldsmith said it's reasonable to expect organisations handling that amount of public money are doing a good job and this can't be known without seeing the report.