Quote:Health officials had to invoke a special 'opt-out' clause to ensure $24 million given to Mike King's Gumboot Friday initiative complied with government contract rules.
Officials also - unsuccessfully - suggested providing less funding to start with, before scaling up.
The chair of the charity behind the initiative says the level of scrutiny it has faced has been "devastating" and there was an assumption that the organisation must have done something "dodgy".
The government announced in May that the I Am Hope Foundation would receive $6m for four years to provide counselling services to 5- to 25-year-olds. The funding was already pledged as part of the coalition agreement last year.
Documents obtained under the Official Information Act show Health Ministry officials struggling to find a way to make the contract compliant with public procurement rules.
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/in-depth/523056/opt-out-clause-used-to-justify-lack-of-procurement-process-for-gumboot-friday-funding