Minister responsible for Novopay Steven Joyce said yesterday he had made it clear to all parties that the ongoing issues with Novopay were unacceptable and new measures were being put in place to provide timely solutions.
These included conducting a technical audit of the stability of the Novopay system and the data contained in it.
Mr Joyce also said the Government might still consider scrapping Novopay. The technical review by Deloitte would incorporate the results of the audit already being undertaken by Ernst and Young on behalf of the Ministry of Education and an accelerated audit of a sample of schools.
He said a new Novopay remediation plan would also be established, led by the Novopay management board.
It would accelerate software stabilisation, monitoring and enhancements and improve customer service, and would involve more resources, which the Government would initially provide on a contingency basis while reserving its contractual position with Talent2.
An active sector re-engagement would also be undertaken by the acting Secretary of Education and the Ministry of Education, which would use the ministry's regional network to support schools, document their feedback and provide them with more information and training, he said.
A reference group chaired by the acting secretary would be ''revitalised'', to include senior members of education sector bodies to ensure ongoing sector engagement and input into system enhancements.
Mr Joyce said a revised contingency plan would be investigated and led by the acting Secretary of Education who had started talks with previous payroll supplier Datacom.
And finally, a ministerial inquiry would be launched in Cabinet on Monday with the intention of feeding the findings of the technical review into the inquiry, and for the inquiry to cover all aspects of the teacher payroll system from outset to present day.
He said the ministerial inquiry would take up to four months and the technical investigation, three to four weeks. More details would follow next week, he said.
Otago Secondary Principals' Association president Brent Russell said the new measures were welcomed by the sector and were ''certainly a step forward''.
''It's pleasing to see that contingency plans are part of the process and that the previous supplier, Datacom, is involved.
''What though, is the timeline for these measures? This is critical.
''Despite today's announcements, it is highly likely that the lack of confidence in Novopay and credibility issues will remain for some considerable time.''
Otago Primary Principals' Association president Whetu Cormick agreed.
He said the measures did not negate the ongoing issues schools would continue to face in the foreseeable future.
''They [Novopay] have issued promises as well today, but we have no confidence they will come to fruition based on the history they have created so far.''
Mr Joyce said he appreciated the issues with Novopay were hugely frustrating for those affected and he understood the pressures school payroll staff were under.
''Next week's pay round covers the beginning of the school year and the Ministry of Education and Talent2 are expecting further issues particularly with the start of a new secondary school teachers' collective agreement.''
