Novopay debacle solved by restarting computer
“Teachers and schools are relieved this morning to see their pay being processed correctly, but are now directing their frustrations toward Minister of Education Hekia Parata, who was in charge of the payroll system before Joyce. A number of principals have said that Parata told them, repeatedly, that she had already tried restarting the computer, a claim that has now been called into question.
“Did she or did she not restart the computer?” asked Labour Leader David Shearer. “Or did she merely put the computer into sleep mode and then claim that she had restarted it? And if that is the case, does the Prime Minister still have confidence in her to be a minister?”
Green Party ICT Spokesman Gareth Hughes expressed special frustration with the government today, noting that he had been suggesting the solution for weeks. At question time in Parliament last week, Hughes asked a long series of supplementary questions about Novopay, including “Has the Minister checked to see if the switch is on at the wall?”, “Has the Minister called customer support?” and, crucially, “Has the Minister tried restarting the computer?”