Life And Society

School leader says Ministry of Education wasted taxpayer money

06:38 am on 27 October 2020

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A school leader says the Ministry of Education of wasted millions of taxpayer dollars over years of earthquake repairs, and was obstructive and misleading.

The building budget at Christchurch Girls High School has blown out by 50 percent to $40 million and it's not finished, even after five years of work.

Mike Lay, who was chair of the board of trustees for most of those years, until 2018, says the ministry botched the job then targeted him when he tried to hold it accountable.

He told Phil Pennington about the school's struggle to get the school re-built properly.