Photo: RNZ / Samuel Rillstone
Education Minister Jan Tinetti will be questioned for an hour by senior MPs next week over whether she deliberately misled Parliament.
The powerful Privileges Committee of senior MPs, chaired by Attorney-General David Parker, has been tasked with investigating whether Tinetti's delay in correcting a statement to the House amounts to a "contempt of Parliament" or breach of privilege.
In Question Time in February, Tinetti had claimed she had no responsibility for the release of school attendance data, but was told by staff later that day she was incorrect.
However, she failed to correct the record until early May, when the Speaker of the House Adrian Rurawhe wrote to her to explain she needed to do so.
Rurawhe considered the matter after finding out Tinetti knew she had spoken falsely, and this week ruled that the matter would be passed to the Privileges Committee.
There is no formal legal definition of contempt, but Parliamentary privileges - the rules, powers and immunities ensuring Parliament is separate from the courts and the Crown - are taken very seriously, and breaches are punishable directly by Parliament as a whole.
It is the Privileges Committee's job to assess and rule on such cases, and Parker - the government's lawyer - said they planned to call Tinetti before them in about a week's time.
"We have decided to write an additional letter to Minister Tinetti asking her some followup questions, we have asked that we have a response to that by Tuesday of next week and then we've suggested that we hear from her in person next Thursday at 12.30pm for an hour."
He said the committee had unanimously decided to summon her. The session would be open to members of the public to attend as would normally be expected.
