Public watchdog among ministry overspends for 2010/2011
The Audit Office is among a handful of Government departments, which have overspent their appropriations from last financial year. The Cook Islands Herald has been told that at least another three ministries or agencies have overspent and will now face an Audit review.
The explanations for breaching their budgets have also been received from three departments and these reasons include unforeseen expenditure, budget amendment cuts, and reduced levels of trading revenue.
Pitt Media Group has asked the Financial Secretary to shed more light on the list of over-expended departments but up to the time of publication, Richard Neves appears too busy to comment.
A couple of months ago, Neves’ predecessor, Acting FinSec Priscilla Maruariki, advised that there were a number of areas under close supervision by the Finance Ministry, including Minister Mark Brown’s Support Office. Maruariki said the departments under watch were being encouraged to rein in the spending to meet their allocations, hopefully by the end of the year. The Finance Minister’s Office was among the less serious cases as his staff was only slightly over budget.
At that time, the Acting FinSec said the final outcomes would not be known until the June 2011 reconciliations were completed and the end of financial year sums done by late July.

Herald Issue 554 09 March
- Norm exposes Trio of Doom
- Briefs from PM’s media conference Tuesday
- Tourism Industry ponders $5 million draft strategy
- Norman George resigns from Cook Islands Party
- Letter of Resignation from CIP
- Norman selfish says Prime Minister